How often in life do we hear things like, “Never let them see you sweat”, “Fake it ‘till you make it”, “Image is everything”, “Don’t let people see that you are struggling”? The world around us tells us in a thousand different ways that it is not ok to let people know that you don’t have it all together all the time.  That is a dangerous message to attempt to live up to.  It never works. In fact, all of us know that life is hard and that we all struggle at some point. 

As followers of Christ, we need to embrace those hard moments in our lives and invite others in as we walk through them.

It is what I call The Moment of Vulnerability.

It is allowing those you are investing in to share in the hard moments of your life so they can see how you relate to God in those times.

Those we are discipling need a front row seat to our souls especially when life is hard.  It helps them see that we do not have it all together yet we still fight to stay faithful to God.

But here is the hard part. Vulnerable literally means to be exposed and at risk.  I don’t  like the sound of that.   I have thoughts like, “If they find out who I really am then I may lose respect.”  “If they know that I struggle, I will lose influence”.  “I don’t want to be found out.” “What if my weaknesses or faults cause me to lose a friend or a job?”

“What if I am rejected by those who are closest to me?”

Those are real questions that require us to walk in faith. They are real questions that need to be countered with truth that we need each other. The Apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 6:2, “Carry one another’s burdens; in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Allowing those we disciple to carry the weight of our struggles with us is allowing ourselves to be loved. We all need that. 

 Vulnerability in the Life of Jesus

Jesus was an amazing model of vulnerability with His disciples. As His relationship with them progressed, He let them into the deepest parts of HIs soul. . In Matthew 26 He made known to them around the dinner table that He was going to be betrayed and handed over to be crucified. It must have been really hard for the 12 or should I say 11 to hear this truth. Jesus betrayed! By one of them! No way! What was also amazing about this moment was that in the end of that conversation Jesus led them to sing a song of worship (Mat. 26:30). He pointed them to God in His own hard moment. Then Jesus took them further into His soul by allowing them to come into the garden with Him. He did not have to do this.

“Taking along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is swallowed up in sorrow – to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.” (Mat. 26:37-38)

It was important for Jesus, the creator and sustainer of the universe, to allow those He was discipling to see the depths of his own pain. Jesus asked them to stay with him in His sorrow. The Son of God exposed. This was truly the Moment of vulnerability and it had to leave a mark on the hearts of the disciples.

Being vulnerable does take a great deal of wisdom.  But, when you invite the right people into the deepest parts of your life, inviting them to “sit with you awhile”, you will be loved, encouraged, and will experience Jesus. 

These questions are for you to ask yourself as the discipler.

• What is stopping me from taking the risk to be vulnerable?
• Is there a sin struggle in my life that I need to confess to those I am discipling?
• Is there anything emotionally difficult that I am walking through that I can ask those I am discipling to pray for and help me walk through?
• Do those I am discipling really know the struggles of my heart?