#17 vulnerable

Eros will have naked bodies; Friendship naked personalities.
- c.s. lewis

I have a friend that I have known for years. As small children we spent every weekend and school holiday living in eachothers pockets, sharing all the experiences of growing up, changing, and evolving. Her family had a houseboat, upon which most of my summers were spent. Hot days spent in and out of the water, and balmy nights spent lying in the dark, slowly rocking up and down with the tide. Tash and I would talk. We would talk about everything and anything, from silly little happenings in our day to huge secrets that lay heavy on our hearts. There was such freedom in sitting alone with Tash, knowing that I could say absolutely anything and never risk condemnation. I knew Tash would never judge me, never share my secrets, and never think any less of my honest admissions and thoughts. Fifteen years have passed and I can still call Tash at any time of the day or night and tell her absolutely anything with total abandonment.

There is a freedom that comes with vulnerability. Somehow things don’t seem so bad when we say them out loud, when we get them off our chest. Sometimes all we need is someone else’s perspective on our situation to help us navigate an escape route. Sometimes we need someone to just whack us on the head and tell us to snap out of it.

We aren’t robots. We aren’t perfect. It’s time to get real. Let’s create a culture of acceptance, where we are honest about our faults, and honest about our absolute and total need for God of grace and forgiveness. Find someone that can help you get to that place.