Kingdom Life: Powerlessness & Vulnerability
(The Lord) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness." ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9
(Jesus) called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 18:2-4
Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection. ~ Brene Brown
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. ~ Step One of AA's 12 Steps.
To be a minister means above all to become powerless, or in more precise terms, to speak with our powerlessness to the condition of powerlessness, which is so keenly felt but so seldom expressed by the people of our age. ~ Henri Nouwen
I probably could have included even more quotes about powerlessness or vulnerability.
It isn't something most of us are comfortable talking about. It certainly isn't something that our culture glorifies.
Yet as Christians, the Lord we worship is one who willingly became powerless - first as an infant, and finally as one crucified.
Without vulnerability, relationships could not thrive. In the mutuality of a relationship, there must always be a give and take. The power cannot lie with only one. The power must be given away.
It's hard to live this way when everything we see and hear on TV, in news, in politics, in popular culture, lifts up strength rather than weakness or powerlessness.
But to admit when we are powerless, as the 12 steps do, is the first step to true freedom.
And something in us likely knows that to be true despite what we are told through day to day experience.
Brene Brown's first TED Talk on vulnerability has been viewed nearly nine million times on YouTube. And that doesn't count the times it was shared in other forums. She tapped into something we sorely needed to hear.
Admitting when we are powerless, seeking vulnerability is a first step in living a Christ-centered, rich and sustaining life. Without it, we are left only to our own devices and can become an island, connected to no one but ourselves.
Prayer: As part of your devotion this morning, admit your powerlessness to the Divine, and then when you can, view Brene Brown's 20 minute TED Talk on vulnerability, found here: Brene Brown on Vulnerability
(Jesus) called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. ~ Matthew 18:2-4
Staying vulnerable is a risk we have to take if we want to experience connection. ~ Brene Brown
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol - that our lives had become unmanageable. ~ Step One of AA's 12 Steps.
To be a minister means above all to become powerless, or in more precise terms, to speak with our powerlessness to the condition of powerlessness, which is so keenly felt but so seldom expressed by the people of our age. ~ Henri Nouwen
I probably could have included even more quotes about powerlessness or vulnerability.
It isn't something most of us are comfortable talking about. It certainly isn't something that our culture glorifies.
Yet as Christians, the Lord we worship is one who willingly became powerless - first as an infant, and finally as one crucified.
Without vulnerability, relationships could not thrive. In the mutuality of a relationship, there must always be a give and take. The power cannot lie with only one. The power must be given away.
It's hard to live this way when everything we see and hear on TV, in news, in politics, in popular culture, lifts up strength rather than weakness or powerlessness.
But to admit when we are powerless, as the 12 steps do, is the first step to true freedom.
And something in us likely knows that to be true despite what we are told through day to day experience.
Brene Brown's first TED Talk on vulnerability has been viewed nearly nine million times on YouTube. And that doesn't count the times it was shared in other forums. She tapped into something we sorely needed to hear.
Admitting when we are powerless, seeking vulnerability is a first step in living a Christ-centered, rich and sustaining life. Without it, we are left only to our own devices and can become an island, connected to no one but ourselves.
Prayer: As part of your devotion this morning, admit your powerlessness to the Divine, and then when you can, view Brene Brown's 20 minute TED Talk on vulnerability, found here: Brene Brown on Vulnerability