Allowing yourself to be vulnerable is extremely hard. Displaying your vulnerability can potentially mean opening yourself up to the risk of criticism, ridicule and rejection.
Eek! This is a hard one.
When someone hurts us, our first instinct is to protect ourselves and prevent it from happening again. The pain from hurt and rejection can cut like a knife and cause us to recoil and hide our true self away.
We say to ourselves,
“I’m not going to let myself get hurt like that again!”
And so we build yet another wall, a barrier between us and them, that absolutely no one can get through. The more barriers we put up, the harder our hearts become and we are filled with unforgiveness, resentment and bitterness.
Before we know it, our form of defence has actually become our poison.
Hurt quickly turns to hate and spreads like wildfire, taking every beautiful thing with it. The weight of unforgiveness and the burden of holding a grudge is enough to crush a once gentle and kindhearted spirit and change a person forever.
Listen
“Don’t let them in, don’t let them know. Hold it all tightly, don’t let it show. Hide every fear away. The world on your shoulders bearing you down, don’t let them see the tears of a clown. Hide every hurt away.”
These lyrics were taken from a song I wrote called ‘He has freed us’.
Click here to listen on YouTube
I wrote this song during my healing process from acute anxiety. For a long time, I hid my illness away from people, afraid to appear vulnerable. I had so much baggage that I was refusing to let go of and it was making me ill.
Holding on to hurt, pride and unforgiveness was the root cause of my anxiety and God had to do a major work in my heart in order for me to be completely set free and healed. Letting my guard down, becoming vulnerable and allowing God to heal my heart was the first step in the process.
Loving vulnerably means that, although we open ourselves up to rejection and ridicule time and time again, we are able to recover from hurt and eradicate the feelings of offence very quickly. With God’s help we are able to love and forgive those who hurt us.
We love vulnerably so that our hearts stay clean, pure and full of love and for our lives to remain filled with the joy and peace of Jesus Christ.
Love and blessings,
Connect with me on other sites to share God’s love for the world.
I’m glad that the Lord helped to heal you. God bless! – Sherline 😀
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God bless, Sherline. Thanks for reading and commenting.
Hayley 😊💞
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That’s a great post and makes so much sense. Love the song, by the way 🙂
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Thank you so much for listening, reading & commenting.
Hayley 😊
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Beautifully said!
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Thank you very much.
Hayley 😊💕
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Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
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Thank you for reblogging Vincent!
Blessings, Hayley 😊
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You’re very welcome Hayley 😁 Blessings to you too my friend
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Oh so true!
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Thank you for reading and commenting.
Hayley 😊
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This is a great post about vulnerability. I liked when you said, “Before we know it, our form of defence has actually become our poison.”
I agree. I sometimes put up various walls to guard myself against feeling vulnerable and it has become my poison.
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Thank you for reading and commenting. I think this has been true for all of us at some point in our lives. Thank you for sharing your honesty.
Every blessing,
Hayley 😊
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Yes. Truth.
Beautiful song, too! ❤
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Thank you, Lynn 😊💕
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I know too many people with built up walls. Thanks for sharing this!
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Yes, it can happen very easily too.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Love Hayley 😊💞
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How incredibly soul touching, Hayley. Your story and your song are so tender. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself. God is in every word, and in every note. Praying for you, and praising God for you. Me and God love you! ❤
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Thank you so much, Gail. Jesus really has transformed me in so many ways. All the glory goes to Him.
Love you, my beautiful friend.
Blessings, Hayley ❤️
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❤ He certainly has! ❤
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Your song is beautiful Hayley!! Wishing you many blessings to come in 2018 and always!! 🙂
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Thank you so much Deb. I really appreciate you taking the time to listen.
Happy new year to you! Every blessing, Hayley 😊💕
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You’re welcome, it was all my pleasure and enjoyment! Thanks Hayley…🎉💖
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Salvation is a subject owned by THE LORD Jesus.
And He gave me two keys to use in any situation:
— Help, LORD Jesus!
— I put this subject under Your feet, LORD!
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Amen to that Carlos! 😊
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Blessings, Red!!
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Happy 2018 Hayley! I look forward to all the blessings you will share!
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Happy New Year, lovely lady! Every blessing,
Hayley 😊💕
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Thank you!
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It is like poison! We have to be so careful that we realize we are children of God and ask ourselves about the stories and examples in the Bible of how they acted and reacted to the same types of things. It can be so hard to do but when we are different in our reactions to the way people treat us, we stand out and make them question what is so different about us… maybe we can give them some hope and lead them to Christ. Like I said, hard to do – we’re humans! Great post! Your writing is beautiful – and vulnerable.
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You’re so right Lindsay! I think it is definitely useful to consider the behaviours of characters from the bible and learn what God is teaching us from these examples. I wish I’d put that in my post now – haha! 😆
And yes, we need to remind ourselves daily, we are daughters of the King and should therefore behave in a way that reflects that. 👑
On a personal note, I hope you and the family are well and had a lovely Christmas and New Year.
Love Hayley 😊💕
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