Real is the New Black

Happy Wednesday! My one little word for this year is uncomfortable. Along with that, God also called me to embrace vulnerability. When I think of being vulnerable, I think of weakness, defenselessness, and susceptibility. My gut reaction is "Ugh. Really, God? You want me to be weak in front of people. Sorry, but that ain't happening." 

Then, as I ponder this and take it all in, I am reminded of 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 which says, 

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong."

So, I am supposed to be weak because when I am weak, God's power is able to shine through so that others can see Him in me. 

Also, God has shown me that vulnerable doesn't always mean weak. In fact, I like to refer to vulnerable as exposed, sensitive, wide open, honest, open to criticism, allowing people to look in and see me, real.

And that brings me to the meat of this post: vulnerability means being real. And by real I mean not hiding my emotions, not putting up this facade that is nothing but a facade. It means letting people see me cry, laugh, grieve, cheer, have fun. It means to stop fearing what people think and just be myself and the person who God wants me to be.

As I embrace vulnerability, I am reminded of God's grace. His grace is what allows me to be real. It is what helps me when I fall and when I fail. His grace is all I need. When I am surrounded by His grace, it allows me to to be real because Jesus didn't die for fake me, He died for real me. Real is the new black.

What are your thoughts?

Linking up with these lovely ladies.