C.S Lewis once wrote "To love is to be vulnerable."
According to dictionary.com vulnerable means...
"capable of or susceptible to being wounded or hurt"
"open to assault; difficult to defend:"
Who wants to be vulnerable? It means you're open to being wounded, hurt, and you're exposed. When it comes to being vulnerable there's no where to hide.
But C.S Lewis said that "To love is to be vulnerable." Huh ? We're supposed to be vulnerable?
That goes against our culture today. We use sarcasm as a defense, we build up walls so high that no one could tear them down, we betray one another, talk about one another behind our backs. So what happened to love?
Quick note: In this post I'm not talking about romantic love, but about love for one another
1 Corinthians 13 isn't nicknamed the love chapter for nothing. It talks about love, about what love is. But the chapter opens up talking about how without love, nothing is worth anything. Think about it for a minute. I mean without love, what would be worth anything?
The word love is mentioned in the book of 1 John twenty-six times (in the CSB version). Yeah, John wrote a lot about love.
1 John 3:1, "See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him."
1 John 3:16, "This is how we have come to know love: Christ laid down His life for us."
1 John 4:7-8, "Dear friends, let us love one another, because love is from God, and everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love."
1 John 4:10, "Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins."
1 John 4:19, "We love because he first loved us."
We are deeply loved by the God of the universe! How could we not show that love to others?
When we love someone we have to allow ourselves to become vulnerable with them. And who better than with the One who made us? Don't be afraid to talk to God about anything, He's not scared off by scars, pain, and hurt. He wants you to talk to Him.
Also, I'm not saying you need to become vulnerable with everyone you come across. I'm just saying that in general, loving is becoming vulnerable. When you open yourself up to love others, you're also opening yourself up to pain. But its worth it.
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Let's talk....
What're your thoughts about love? What's your favorite Bible verse about love? What do you think about vulnerability?
Awesome post, Sarah! Very eye-opening! I love reading 1 Corinthians 13!!! <3
ReplyDelete-Brooklyne
I love that passage too! <3
DeleteOh my goodness I have FELT this message recently! So I had like slipped into just using my words in a way that left me feeling...not joy in my heart to put it simply. (aka excessive sarcasm, not my typical self with the way I responded...it was a gradual process.)Then I went to God, I was like, what is this? Why am I doing this, like it's kind of just... happening. I traced it back to love. Just loving people. I was lacking that in my words. They weren't hurtful, but they weren't loving, if that makes sense. I really love this. The past couple of days I've really prayed and focused on speaking love. My heart has felt so much more fulfilled, I guess you could say. :) Thanks for the encouragement, Sarah!
ReplyDeleteI can have a tendency to use sarcasm too much too. It's easier sometimes to reply with a sarcastic remark.
DeleteYes, we are to be loving in our words (which is a daily struggle for me).
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Mallory!! :)
Yes, yes, yes!
ReplyDelete