05 25 07 Vulnerability

“Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly.
Do not be conceited.” (Romans 12:16)

While many scholars and even early church fathers debate whether this verse teaches the Christian to associate with those less fortunate or to seek humble lifestyle and duties (“associate with the lowly”; tapeinos in Greek; men of low estate [Young’s] and humble, of low degree, lowly [Strong’s]), but I think we get the point. Jesus taught us to associate with sinners to win them for Christ (as He did) and not to think too highly of ourselves. One problem most of us have is that once we are saved, we begin to disassociate ourselves with non-believers and hand-pick the believers we think are best for us to hang with. Then we tend to keep our problems quiet as if we have everything in control! No challenges…no chances…no vulnerability!

I am still learning how to balance the saints and the ain’ts; the redeemed sinners with the unredeemed; those who know and those who need to know! I can’t just neglect all those who do not know Christ, yet I can’t live 24/7 in the world He saved me from. On the other hand, I can’t simply choose to hang out with the super-saints, thinking I am above everyone else. I have to keep in mind where I came from and how easy it is to slip back, should I get proud and high-minded. Good thing Jesus knows me so well and has a unique way of keeping me humbled! I can never hide from me or my Savior!

I have developed some very good and challenging relationships simply by making myself available to others and learning to share my life. I have been helped by so many in millions of ways, and also been blessed to help others along the way. There is no way I could have the experiences I have had if I had chosen not to be vulnerable, risking friendships and reputation. It’s hard to go up to strangers, to the homeless, even to a friend at times when I don’t want to do so. I really have to purposely allow the Lord to use me at times, but the blessings are so worth it. I am still learning and changing to best allow the Lord to use me. I’m trying not to get in His way! The following passage helped me today:

"When we're in Christian community, we do a lot of things right, but we still have a lot to learn about being friendly with everyone. Many of us, particularly the guys, are not very good at developing deep, deep friendships. But that shouldn't discourage us, because we can do all things through Christ. As believers, we can be eternal optimists, and our relationship with Christ provides us with tremendous potential for developing authentic, transparent friendships. The fear in all this is that, in order to truly know other people, I must be willing to be known, allowing others to get close enough to see the real me. And that sounds a little scary, doesn't it? What if there are parts of me that I'm not proud of or need a lot of work? These fears are common to anyone, but Jesus is the answer to your fears. Did you hear that? Jesus is the answer to your fears." (Purpose Driven Life Daily Devotional May 25, 2007)

Be encouraged---and challenged!