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Vulnerability isn’t weakness

James 5:16 

“Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” 

One lie that culture tries to embed within our behaviours is keeping things to ourselves. For years, I adopted the belief that my problems weren’t worth listening to or that people wouldn’t care about what I had to say. A simple question of “how are you?” became an automated response of “I’m fine” or “Good” with a fabricated smile. I found my strength in my ability to repress my emotions. But that isn’t true strength. Authentic strength is rooted in humility: acknowledging your weakness so that you may embrace Christ’s strength for you (2 Corinthians 12:9) We create barriers and cages to not let people into our lives, but all we are really doing is caging ourselves: caging ourselves from the truth that we need help. 

If we look closely into the verse, we are called for community. Throughout the Bible, we are consistently shown to confess our sins to the Lord, but very rarely are we called to confess our sins to each other. We are not meant to live life alone, and the people in our lives are there for a reason. How can you deal with your issues if you don’t invite the people in your lives to be the solution? "Healing” comes from recognising the diagnosis, and sometimes the people around us can see that clearer than ourselves. So, confess the things that are weighing you down, so that the prayers of others can take the weight off.  

When it came to my life, I assumed that if people truly knew what I was going through, they would view me differently. I predicted that I would be criticised for the mistakes I made. Weak, Soft, Emotional, all words I believed I was going to be if I expressed myself.  

Part of why I felt this way was because of the people I surrounded myself with. Transparency becomes a lot harder when your environment doesn’t give you that space. Having relationships with people who share the same love for God is essential. Christ-centred friendships leave no room for judgement or condemnation because the very foundation is built of love and forgiveness.  

We are all told to be the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) but how can we do that if we keep parts of ourselves in darkness? Confess and be vulnerable to the people around you, so that they may help you. Vulnerability isn’t weakness, it’s an opportunity for strength.  

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