Yesterday was one of those days where I viewed most of my interactions through the lens of past hurts. A work email, a misunderstanding with a friend, a rejection in my writing, a trigger to my trauma. I started wrestling with old lies that rear their ugly heads sometimes: “You’re not qualified, you’re not welcome,…
Read moreVulnerability with boundaries; open heart with backbone
“Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.” -Proverbs 4:23 Remember yesterday I shared about the fence versus the open field? While an open field sounds beautiful, a fence is a necessary and healthy boundary created to keep the safe things inside the unsafe things out. It is…
Read moreA field, a wall, and a fence (on vulnerability with others)
Like a field of wildflowers Her heart was wide open She wore it on her sleeve, for all to see And that heart was welcoming, soft, unguarded The trouble with her open heart is that she kept giving it away She overshared and she over-trusted She spilled her soul to those who would listen And…
Read moreWho’s climbing up the mountain with you? (on vulnerability and finding safe people)
When I was in my darkest place, my pain lied to me. It told me that I was all alone. It whispered that no one would understand my hurt. That I was a burden. So I shoved the pain down for years until I no longer could hold it inside. I remember the day I…
Read moreHow addressing our wounds brings healing
“You can’t heal a wound by saying it’s not there,” -Jeremiah 6:14 (TLB) When I was in middle school, I fell on my knee at a friend’s house. We were playing charades on the treadmill (questionable judgment) and she gave me the prompt, “Pretend you’re running in the park and you see a cute guy.”…
Read moreSearch me, O God, and know my heart
When I was in college I took a personality assessment that gave me an interesting result- it said I was 98% extroverted on the introversion/extroversion scale. A staff member reviewed my results and was surprised by my number. “It’s not a bad thing, but you may want to explore healthy ways to stretch yourself in…
Read moreWhat does it mean to be seen and known by God?
In the beginning, God designed us for connection. Before He even formed man, God built a garden and provided all we could ever physically need. Can you imagine how glorious it must have been? A whole spectrum of bursting color, pure, untainted and joy-filled to behold. Lush plants and an array of fragrances from the…
Read moreIs vulnerability worth it?
You know those dreams/nightmares of speaking in front of a classroom without your clothes, or showing up for a big presentation completely unprepared? Yikes. Talk about embarrassing and vulnerable, right? We live in a society that calls up many different definitions of the word “vulnerable,” especially depending upon context. Some view vulnerability as susceptibility to…
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