Be Vulnerable... What?

My baby sister and I have this song, one of the few we can agree on. It tells the story of pride and independence giving way to humility, although I haven't always looked at it that way. Sure, I can see the beauty of surrender in this song and the welcome abandon with which the singer asks God to restore him. I noticed something else about this song, a vulnerability...

The Song: (and my prayer for us) Hurricane by Jimmy Needham

Lyrics:
I have built a city here 
Half with pride and half with fear 
Just wanted a safer place to hide 
I don't want to be safe tonight 

[Chorus]
I need You like a hurricane 
Thunder crashing, wind and rain 
To tear my walls down 
I'm only Yours now 
I need you like a burning flame 
A wild fire untamed 
To burn these walls down 
I'm only Yours now 
I'm only Yours now 

I am Yours and You are mine 
You know far better than I 
And if destruction's what I need 
Then I'll receive it Lord from Thee 
Yes, I'll receive it Lord from Thee

For the remaining lyrics click here.

Several years ago a wise woman sat me down in her living room just as I was heading off to a new job and told me, "Kristy, you have to be vulnerable. Let others in." (or something like that) This woman began to explain to me how hard it was to get to know me. I didn't realize but my face could be quite unreadable. You might tell me that the room is on fire and my face would be impassive. Ok, slight exaggeration... but ultimately, I was making it harder for others to get to know me. I wasn't be expressive, and I was censoring everything that came out of my mouth. It took her months to get to know me, to understand me. Most people wouldn't have taken that long. 

Ultimately, I've come to realize that I was afraid of rejection, of being hurt. So I hid away parts of myself. This woman told me that at my new job I was going to need to be vulnerable to get to know others and that it was okay to ask for help, to not have it all together, all the time. 

I'm not sure exactly when it began or why, but sometime during my teens I became a very introspective person. I think there were even times my parents didn't fully understand me, and I didn't even realize that I was the one that was making it difficult. I kept so much to myself, my sorrows, my fears, even my dreams. Over time I shared little pieces of myself with my family, but my friends still didn't get the whole picture. This only made it easier to move and start over time and again. It wasn't until the earlier mentioned conversation at the end of my college days that I realized I was making it harder for myself. 

Months later as I was getting ready for my new teaching job and adjusting to a new school, those words echoed in my mind, be vulnerable. I started letting people in, asking for help, sharing information about my life, and trying to be real with them. This is something I still struggle with today. So, what does this have to do with being single? being a Christian?

I was reminded of this recently as I began a new relationship. If you are like me and have walled away your heart, even if to protect yourself, you may be missing out God's plan for your life. As a single person, we can't be afraid of the fall or failure. Put yourself out there. I'm not saying take unreasonable risks or go crazy, but give people a shot. It is easy when you have spent a lot of time alone to just continue that comfortable way of life and stay alone. Maybe you have spent most of your life hopping from relationship to relationship; give your heart time to heal. Then get back on that horse and try again.  

As Christians, we are called to worship, to surrender our lives to God, to live a life of holiness and sacrifice, to honor and glorify Him. This is impossible if we don't let down our guard, get out of our comfort zone, and live our life in this sinful world, doing our best to let others see Jesus in us. So I ask, are you hiding in plain sight? Are you hurting? scared? alone?  You don't have to be, and you definitely don't have to do this alone. God will be with you every step of the way, and if you seek it out, God will reveal your own wise friend to see you through this trial or season of your life. Don't be afraid to be the REAL you and be vulnerable. 

Season... really?

So, I realize the title is a little cheesy, but let's face it... We've all hoped that this thing called singleness is just a phase or season that we are going to pass through. Until a few weeks ago, I didn't realize that I'm approaching the ten year mark of my season of singleness. Oh no, I let the cat out of the bag!!! I don't usually throw this out in casual conversation for fear someone will see it as their duty to set me up with someone. However, I tell you now so that you understand I'm not someone to be pitied or adored. I'm just an average young woman trying to follow God's will and live my life accordingly.

Through this blogging journey I hope you understand that you are not walking this path alone and that there are plenty of people willing to support you. I'm going to be walking through a book by one of my favorite authors - Leslie Ludy. Whether you are single, married, or whatever, Leslie has a way of speaking to you in a plain and blunt way that gets through. I would recommend her and her husband's books to anyone (Eric Ludy). They are quite the couple and have an awesome love story only God could pen.

So now that I have stopped gushing over Leslie, let me tell you about "Sacred Singleness". This is a phrase Leslie uses as well as the title of one of her books. While most of us don't want to go there, singleness is a time to cherish and grow in the Lord. More importantly, we should be focused on growing in the Lord instead of attracting the next hot guy who is going to follow us around for a few weeks before he moves on to the next hot thing. Many Christian and non-christians miss the mark completely, thinking they can just live a good life and God is going to give them the perfect significant other and the perfect little house and family. Well, I hate to burst your bubble, it doesn't quite work like that for everyone.

Now you could be like my sister, instant attraction to Mr. Right... engaged in less than three months, wedding in under a year. Sometimes things do just fall into place and work to the benefit of those who trust in the Lord. Don't get me wrong, my sister and her fiance both have weathered the various storms of life and worked hard to become the individuals they are today. But for some of us, we work hard for the Lord everyday, trying to trust Him, waiting patiently (sometimes) for Him to lead and at the end of the day, we're still asking the Lord to send us our helpmate.

If there is anything I've learned from my ten years, it is never stop asking. In Matthew 7:7 the Bible says, "Ask and you will receive, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you." So, whether your singleness last a few weeks, months, or years, never stop asking for the desires of your heart. The Lord wants to give us those desires; however, we need to trust that his plans are better than ours. Tonight I'm going to close with probably the most quoted verse to our generation.

Jeremiah 29:11 - "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Remember you are not walking this journey alone, the Lord is with us every step of the way. Be a strong Godly woman, asking the Lord for the desires of your heart, but listening for His guidance.