It is Okay Not to Be Okay

Why are we so afraid to be vulnerable? I believe that vulnerability is the greatest display of humility. You are essentially putting yourself out there at the mercy of others, with, of course, the hope they do not take advantage of the state of brokenness you are in, or think less of you because of it. I think there are more of us, (than actually let on), who hurt deeply inside but out of fear of others criticizing or belittling us, we keep that buried, we don't let it show.... "How are you?", they ask,  "I'm fine", we reply. When inside we are falling apart. Why is it that we feel we have to conceal pain, when it is something that every single human being faces, at one time or another in their lives. A friend of mine, Mary, asked me a question which really provoked me to seek an answer. She asked: "Why is it hard to extend grace to ourselves sometimes?" Why is that truly so difficult? Why do we provide grace to others as they are dealing with extenuating circumstances, we allow for them to grow and we show compassion, but when it comes to our own lives, we are quick to say "Get over it, you shouldn't be so down on yourself", as if it is wrong for us to feel pain or cry? I believe we deny ourselves this grace because we feel by showing pain we somehow appear weak in our faith of God. We assume that being Christian looks a certain way, strong ALL the time, as if we have some superhero costume on our soul that allows us to fly through life without ever being affected by trials and tribulations. That's not reality. The Reality is, we are susceptible to lives struggles and we feel pain. We cry. 

Jesus Wept. - John 11:35 

The shortest verse in the entire King James Bible. But it is so powerful. To know that The Son of God himself, can be moved to tears. Jesus felt pain, He felt overwhelmed (Mark 14:34). He was tempted (Matthew 4:1-11). He knows what it means to be human, to be broken both soul and body. The point I want to stress is not only did Jesus experience the pain that we do, He also didn't try to hide when He was in pain. He extended Himself the grace to be openly vulnerable because He knew that within His moment of weakness, lied the opportunity for God's strength to be made perfect. (2 Corinthians 12:9) 

BELOVED, IT IS OKAY NOT BE OKAY. 

When we are honest with ourselves about pain, God is then able to address that pain, help us through it, and at that same moment, He is glorified in doing so. So be honest with God, be honest with one another. Be real. Be vulnerable. Forget the fear of what it looks like to the world. Allow yourself to cry when you need to. Sure, the wrong people may take advantage, but the right people (the ones who matter) will come to your side with words of comfort. And at the end of the day.... the one who matters most (Jesus) will NEVER leave you nor forsake you in your time of need. (Deuteronomy 31:6) 

Don't keep pain buried. Set yourself free from its burdens. Tell God how you truly feel, don't sugarcoat it. That way, the healing process can begin. Also, use the discernment of the Holy Spirit to determine which people you can trust with sharing your deepest hurts. Not to say that confiding in God is not enough, of course it is, but as I said, when we are broken in front of others it provides God with a stage (if you will) an opportunity to be made perfect on display, allowing for God to then be glorified when others see what He can do in your life. From your pain comes your testimony, and your testimony can help bring others to the salvation of the One who who saved you.

So, just be as gentle and gracious with yourself as you are with others. And remember, "The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed." - Psalm 34:18 NLT 

Jesus Loves you.... every broken piece. 

- Brianna Carey ©