Being Vulnerable is not all bad!
What does it mean to be vulnerable? The definition of vulnerable is to be susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm.
The enemy loves it! It is prime attack territory for him to pounce on us. It is a dangerous position to be in.
However, being vulnerable is something people avoid talking about. We hide from it! We don’t share with others about it! It’s like we are ashamed to show that we are vulnerable.
In our eyes, it reflects that we are not living the perfect life we display to others. Depression, discouragement, anxiety, worry, and the list goes on that places us in a state of vulnerability.
Why do we not reach out in times of vulnerability?
I recently learned a valuable lesson about how the Christian family is to respond to those in a vulnerable state.
I watched a documentary on elephants. It was focusing on a mother elephant giving birth to a baby. It was amazing what happened! An elephant is at its most vulnerable state giving birth. A prime time for its enemy to attack.
Check out this behavior:
The female elephant herd circled around the birthing mother. Shoulder to shoulder. They began to kick up dust in effort to create a security screen from the enemy. The dust dulled the scent of blood that could lure in predators.
They began to lift their trunks and trumpet loudly in celebration of the birth of the new baby. They came to the side of their sister elephant in need!
They were there for support, protection, celebration, and fellowship! Is this not the behavior we should model in our churches?
A strong wall of muscle and tusks that could scare away the enemy. Tons of weight built walls of protection around the birthing mom.
I John 3:16-18 “By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.”
Wow! What a picture of how we are to rally around our vulnerable brothers and sisters in their vulnerable moments. And, in times of celebration.
To come alongside and raise our prayers up to the Father who bends down to listen on behalf of our Christian family, “Because he bends down to listen, I will pray as long as I have breath!”
To surround him or her with words, deeds, actions of encouragement and love that ward off attack from our enemy, Satan.
My prayer for us today is to be sensitive and on the look out for the vulnerable Christian.
Our churches are full of people with struggles beyond what they can bear. They will not always ask for help.
Naturally we cannot reach out to the hurting if we are not aware, but sometimes we just need to take notice.
Just like the mother elephant showed signs of delivery. There were moans of pain and shedding of blood. The rest of her herd came to her aid! I find that intriguing!
Where are we when our brothers and sisters are hurting?
Find courage my vulnerable friends! Vulnerability is not all bad. It has a sense of power that can lead us closer to God.
It presents an opportunity for humility to come forth in our lives, to float to the surface above the pride that hinders it.
Pride and humility are enemies. Pride keeps us in a vulnerable state. One in which imprisons us in our thinking by keeping us from reaching out for help.
Pride Feeds on lie after lie of the enemy and convinces us that no one cares…..we are unworthy….why bother? Lies, Lies, all lies. Who is the father of lies? Satan himself.
When all the while humility patiently waits backstage to usher you into the God’s own throne room for healing. He sends a Godly messenger willing to fight for you….. armed with salvation, truth, righteousness, readiness, and most important the word!
Forgive me friends! For all of the times I did not come to your aid when you needed the dust kicked up and the weight of protection surrounding you.
What a wake call for us! Christians, may we be more observant of our fellow man? May we adopt the ways of the elephant? More about working together as a herd to minister to the world full of hurt.
I am humbled by the acts of the elephant. I pray that we as brothers and sisters in Christ would not only reach out to the vulnerable but when we are in vulnerable situations ourselves, reach out and let brotherly love surround us in a way that we literally feel Christ himself wrapping his arms around us.
Encircling us shoulder to shoulder, heart to heart, prayer to prayer……a picture of the church!