vulnerability is a hard concept for me to grasp. why on earth would i expose myself to people in such a way that they could hurt me and walk away unscathed? to show my true self is to give someone a precious and priceless treasure that could so easily be destroyed by careless or even malicious handling. why would i ever give someone the power to hurt me like that?

  because to give someone the power to wound me is also to give someone the power to love me. true love cannot happen without true vulnerability; if you don’t truly know someone, you cannot truly love them. when i have walls built up to protect myself, i can’t be hurt, but i can’t receive anyone’s love. when those walls come down, i’m vulnerable, i could be killed in one shot, but i can also freely give and receive love. 

  to be so exposed is a frightening idea; my natural inclination is to curl up in the fetal position and wish the world away. but when i stand on my own two feet, and don’t deflect the shots that come but instead trust that my Father is right there with me, i can do it; i can open up my heart and expose all its loveliness and messiness in all its glory to the world without fear of the darkness and ugliness polluting it. 

  so here i am, opening up more each day, revealing my true self in tiny ways that hopefully end up making a difference. all the tiny choices i’ve made, to share with this person or that the things that are on my heart, the things i’m walking through, the things i love about myself, are showing others (and myself) who i am and who i am becoming every moment of every day.