Vulnerability is one of the most powerful skills you can learn in life. My definition of vulnerability is this: Facing the truth of what is happening in your life. Vulnerability has such a vital role in so many areas of your life. Vulnerability helps build intimacy. By becoming vulnerable, you can deepen your relationship with God, yourself, and those around you. Vulnerability helps open your eyes, so that you can see what is going on in your life more clearly.

As we live our lives, we can unknowingly bury our pain and brokenness deep within ourselves. The hurt inside of us slowly begins to cover up the person God created us to be. Many people today live with unresolved trauma that is destroying their lives and they are completely unaware of the root issue that is causing them so much pain. The only healthy way to deal with the brokenness inside is to be vulnerable.

Vulnerability is not a talent you acquire, but a skill that is developed. It takes time and courage to grow in vulnerability. There is a lot of risk when being vulnerable, and yet that is one of the biggest reasons why it is so powerful. A response always follows a moment of opening yourself up to the reality of what is happening in your life. This response comes from whoever receives your act of vulnerability. Whether you are opening up to your friends, family, God, or even yourself, there is always a response.

This is why risk is involved. When you become vulnerable you are either met with rejection, or acceptance. There are three different ways you can be vulnerable. You can be vulnerable with God, with yourself, and with others. Each way is extremely helpful if you want to live in wholeness.

The first and most important way to be vulnerable is with God. This can almost feel a little silly to do. What would be the point of being vulnerable with God when He already knows everything? We often think that since He is the God of the universe, there is no point in talking with Him about what is happening in our lives.

Sometimes we are scared to share about our lives with God because we think He will be upset and disappointed with us. In these moments we must choose to trust that we will not be met with rejection, but that we will be met with acceptance. We must take that step of faith, believing that He will receive us with open arms. As we open up to Him, we have the opportunity to experience the closeness and comfort of the Lord.

Each day we have the opportunity to sit with the Lord and share about what is happening in our lives. As we build this connection with the Lord it becomes easier and easier to open up to Him. When we do this, we get to hear his response to our vulnerability; this is where we find freedom and breakthrough. Breakthrough happens when you find yourself at your very worst, fully broken, a total failure, totally given up, shattered to pieces, and then you hear how God thinks about you in that moment.

If being vulnerable with God is so powerful and life changing, then why don’t more people do it? Even though opening up to God is the best decision you can make, it still can be very painful. When we are hurting, we tend to run away from the pain and distract ourselves. If we want to be people that run to God and not away from Him when faced with trouble, we must build a habit of making the decision to come to the Lord with everything. We must become great receivers as we sit before the Lord in our mess and hear what He has to say to us. Doing this makes it become easier to give up control and surrender everything to Him.

There is nothing better than hearing how God thinks about you when you are at your worst. This is what builds your relationship with God. This is ultimately what God is after.