Vulnerability
"That makes a [person] vulnerable, when the stories they are telling are their own stories." - Suzanne Stabile
I have been listening to a lot of podcasts recently. The quote above is from "The Road Back to You: Looking at Life Through the Lens of the Enneagram" with Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile. Suzanne is speaking to Nadia Bolz-Weber in episode 4 of the podcast. I think this is a beautiful statement because it does make someone vulnerable, open to questions, comments, and even attacks, when the stories that they are sharing are ones that are true to them.
Similarly, I have been listening to Brené Brown talk on vulnerability, and these two things just happen to coincide with listening to another podcast, "Better Days" by Wesley Towne. Wesley said, "Some of us are exhausted and weary and burdened because we believed the lie of perfectionism and God would tell us today, 'You can stop striving. You can find rest in me.' We don't have to continue to pursue perfection; we can find rest in the reality that we are imperfect and have brokenness in our lives." Wesley then goes on to state that perfectionism isn't real, nor is it relatable. None of us are perfect, so the idea that we should be more like another person, who seems perfect, but in reality isn't, is a false construct or idea.
Wesley said that when we open up our lives to the brokenness, the loss, the shame, the guilt, the truth, the missing pieces, and what is actually going on, people respond well. Those around us aren't perfect, so displaying our imperfections can be a gateway for us to relate to each other. Everyone has short-comings, faults, and symptoms of brokenness, and that is what makes humans able to connect with each other. These symptoms in our lives just happen to manifest themselves differently amongst people, because, surprise, we are all individual. These "failings" can impact others positively and can encourage them to share their story and in turn be vulnerable as well. When people are vulnerable with one another, we find connections, commonalities, and shared stories of brokenness, remedies, sadness, trials, betrayal, wholeness, and love. It can be uplifting and even encouraging to know and realize that we are not in something alone, that others have walked this path before and may continue to walk it with us now.
The beauty here? God loves us despite these scars, bruises, and deep cuts. He is a great God who loves us even though we possess these qualities. Wesley's closing statements hit home for me: "Be free from the lie of perfectionism, be free from the burden of perfectionism. You no longer need to try to be perfect any more in your life and in your story. In fact, the challenges, burdens, flaws, the suffering, the weaknesses, the struggles often become an impetus to change, to deepen, and to impact the world like never before and the world can't relate to perfection, so be free." God loves us exactly as we are, not because of anything we did or didn't do, but because of who HE is and through the blood of His Son, we are made perfect.
I started this blog as a memoir to share some of my life stories with you. My goal is that these encourage and educate you on how to live a more joyful, healthier, full life; one of hope.
I write about my fascination with whole foods, my love of Jesus, my struggles, my childhood stories, my passion for education, and my devotion to creating a healthy life (body, mind, and spirit) for every person in the world.
I have been listening to a lot of podcasts recently. The quote above is from "The Road Back to You: Looking at Life Through the Lens of the Enneagram" with Ian Cron and Suzanne Stabile. Suzanne is speaking to Nadia Bolz-Weber in episode 4 of the podcast. I think this is a beautiful statement because it does make someone vulnerable, open to questions, comments, and even attacks, when the stories that they are sharing are ones that are true to them.
Similarly, I have been listening to Brené Brown talk on vulnerability, and these two things just happen to coincide with listening to another podcast, "Better Days" by Wesley Towne. Wesley said, "Some of us are exhausted and weary and burdened because we believed the lie of perfectionism and God would tell us today, 'You can stop striving. You can find rest in me.' We don't have to continue to pursue perfection; we can find rest in the reality that we are imperfect and have brokenness in our lives." Wesley then goes on to state that perfectionism isn't real, nor is it relatable. None of us are perfect, so the idea that we should be more like another person, who seems perfect, but in reality isn't, is a false construct or idea.
Wesley said that when we open up our lives to the brokenness, the loss, the shame, the guilt, the truth, the missing pieces, and what is actually going on, people respond well. Those around us aren't perfect, so displaying our imperfections can be a gateway for us to relate to each other. Everyone has short-comings, faults, and symptoms of brokenness, and that is what makes humans able to connect with each other. These symptoms in our lives just happen to manifest themselves differently amongst people, because, surprise, we are all individual. These "failings" can impact others positively and can encourage them to share their story and in turn be vulnerable as well. When people are vulnerable with one another, we find connections, commonalities, and shared stories of brokenness, remedies, sadness, trials, betrayal, wholeness, and love. It can be uplifting and even encouraging to know and realize that we are not in something alone, that others have walked this path before and may continue to walk it with us now.
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| From the YouVersion Bible App |
I started this blog as a memoir to share some of my life stories with you. My goal is that these encourage and educate you on how to live a more joyful, healthier, full life; one of hope.
I write about my fascination with whole foods, my love of Jesus, my struggles, my childhood stories, my passion for education, and my devotion to creating a healthy life (body, mind, and spirit) for every person in the world.
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