Vulnerability creeps up in the middle of the night and taps me awake. It crosses its fingers hoping I will roll over and obsess about it. It’s egotistical. It interrupts my sleep. It twists God’s Truth into Satan’s deceptive midnight trap.
As my top teeth vibrate across my bottom lip to form the word, I know where this is leading. The ugly word bounces off my tongue and leaps into wide open spaces. It’s on the loose. It’s free to seek and destroy. I peek over at the clock. The neon time, 4:00 a.m., illuminates the room. My insecurities grab hold and tightly squeeze me. I can’t get back to sleep -- vulnerable wins tonight.
Webster’s dictionary defines vulnerable as without adequate protection: open to physical or emotional harm. Vulnerability is a harsh reality. We all experience it. When we are vulnerable we feel
Susceptible,
Persuadable,
Defenseless, and
Exposed.
Satan loves bringing us to such a point of weakness. It’s a place he can weasel his way into our weak spot and take advantage of us. I hear it’s his favorite weapon of choice against Christian women. It maims us. It causes us to second guess ourselves and sometimes God. It causes us to revisit past mistakes and wrong choices.
For me, it causes pity party moments where I allow my mind to re-experience shameful events that have already been forgiven. When I do this, my sin becomes the main story while God’s redemption is merely a footnote.
The Bible says we are to be the opposite of vulnerable. God made us in His image. God's no wimp and neither are we! He doesn’t give us a spirit of timidity and fear. He gives us His spirit which enables us to be brave and precocious women of God.
When Jesus faced the devil's lies and temptations, he could have curled up on the ground in a vulnerable mess. Instead, Jesus countered with the truth of God's Word. The spoken Word of God is like a living, powerful sword in our mouths (Hebrews 4:12), and if Jesus depended upon it to face challenges in life, so can we. Meditate on the verses below to help change your vulnerable into invincible!
Lets girl up sweet sisters and start our day being brave and courageous with a pinch of sass--just the way our Designer intended!
“Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you,” (Deuteronomy31:6).
"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong,” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
"Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name," (Ps. 91:14)
So encouraging! You always hear the men saying "Man-Up", but you're right it is equally valid for us. I need to "Girl-Up" a lot and I'd never be able to do that without the courage found in the Lord. Love you!
ReplyDelete