{"id":40686,"date":"2013-07-17T11:30:38","date_gmt":"2013-07-17T16:30:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.austincnm.com\/?p=40686"},"modified":"2013-07-17T11:26:56","modified_gmt":"2013-07-17T16:26:56","slug":"vulnerability-is-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atxcatholic.com\/index.php\/2013\/07\/vulnerability-is-strength\/","title":{"rendered":"Vulnerability is Strength"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Do you <\/em>really believe God loves you?”<\/em><\/p>\n

If you’ve ever heard this question internally (or been asked it directly), then chances are you’re very familiar with that half-second sinking feeling in your gut that follows.\u00a0 The feeling when you doubt, even if for just a split second, and don’t know the answer.<\/p>\n

Or how about during a break-up, job loss, or other adversity when you wonder, “Am I doing something wrong? Is God ignoring me?”<\/p>\n

And of course there are the times when we lash out in anger, “I hate [traffic, my job, a person, God]!”<\/p>\n

That ugly little feeling inside… Next time you feel it, I dare you to do something you’ve probably never done before: sit in it.<\/strong> I’m serious. Look inside yourself, find that ugly little ball of yuck, shine a spotlight on it, pull up a chair, and have a seat. It’s time to be willing to make yourself vulnerable,\u00a0dig a little deeper, and take a peek under the cover.<\/p>\n

First, let’s identify what we’re looking at. Is it fear? Shame?<\/p>\n

Where does it come from? Past experiences or\u00a0wounds? Pressure from responsibilities (bills, family, work)?<\/p>\n

Now does it look a little differently? When we stop and analytically examine our anxiety, a lot of its power is taken away because it is no longer unbound. The dread of “never” being to do x, y, z is lessened.\u00a0Under examination, we\u00a0also see what it is not. It is not love thus it is not of God.<\/p>\n

When I feel anxieties and doubts, Jesus’ words come to mind:<\/p>\n

\u201cBehold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves;
\nso be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
\nBut beware of men,
\nfor they will hand you over to courts
\nand scourge you in their synagogues,
\nand you will be led before governors and kings for my sake
\nas a witness before them and the pagans.
\nWhen they hand you over,
\ndo not worry about how you are to speak<\/strong>
\nor what you are to say.<\/strong>
\nYou will be given at that moment what you are to say.<\/strong>
\nFor it will not be you who speak<\/strong>
\nbut the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.<\/strong>
\nBrother will hand over brother to death,
\nand the father his child;
\nchildren will rise up against parents and have them put to death.
\nYou will be hated by all because of my name,
\nbut whoever endures to the end will be saved.<\/strong>
\nWhen they persecute you in one town, flee to another.
\nAmen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel
\nbefore the Son of Man comes.\u201d Matthew 10:16-23<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"9265750803_f9649533ec_n\"This seems like a very stressful situation Jesus is asking us to be in! I like that Jesus tells us not to worry because he is acknowledging that we will<\/em> worry. But through our worry, God can do great things. Fear is not a roadblock<\/em>, it is a road sign<\/strong>. It tells us that we’re on our way to going beyond our own human limitations and into God’s embrace. He asks us to embrace the fear and worry,\u00a0to willingly make ourselves vulnerable, because when we make ourselves less, we can be filled with even more of God’s love.<\/p>\n

Just think of the last time you encountered something that was out of your control: getting a new job, finding a new home, being sick, trying to conceive a new baby. Did you let go of your desire to be in control and give it to God? And when you did, didn’t you feel peace?<\/p>\n

When we make ourselves vulnerable in this way, we intuitively know that there is something greater than ourselves. In that little moment of fear and doubt\u00a0is the potential to prove\u00a0God’s existence. When we are vulnerable, we are able to be more compassionate and to love more because we allow ourselves to be closer to God.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“Do you really believe God loves you?” If you’ve ever heard this question internally (or been asked it directly), then chances are you’re very familiar with that half-second sinking feeling in your gut that follows.\u00a0 The feeling when you doubt, even if for just a split second, and don’t know the answer. Or how about… [Read More]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_wpcom_ai_launchpad_first_post":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\n\n{excerpt}\n\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,90],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-blog","category-faith-blog","entry","has-post-thumbnail"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t