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Deeper Relationship
Rev. Josh Patty
Regional Minister & President
Relationships are at the heart of our faith. Our relationship with God and our relationships with others are shaped by – and help shape – our faith.
What are vital components of any healthy relationship? Take a moment and try to name five.
I imagine that many people list: honesty, trust, open communication. I’ve been pondering another recently that I doubt makes many lists. Vulnerability.
Vulnerability is the willingness to admit attributes and actions that are less positive, to recognize motivations and secrets that have and continue to shape us, what we do and what we do not do. Relationships without vulnerability tend to be shallow, where those involved conceal as much as they reveal about themselves.
Christians often proclaim, sing, and pray the ways we trust God. How vulnerable are you with God? It’s easy to think, “Well, God knows all that stuff.” It’s harder to bring those darker, less attractive things to the forefront of our prayers, our study of scripture, our listening. The more we resist, the shallower our relationships with God are. And the less open we are to God’s desires and efforts to nurture us into the people we were created to be.
I suspect that if we aren’t vulnerable with God, we aren’t vulnerable with most others either. This allows us the comforts of protection, but prevents us from experiencing the depth of loving and supportive relationships God wants us to have – such as those that Jesus demonstrates personally in the gospels.
Vulnerability is scary. Sometimes others prove unworthy of our trust, at least for a time. It’s the basic way toward deepening relationships with others, including God. It’s what allows others to better cheer us on, commiserate with us, and celebrate with us. It likely also is the way God approaches us – vulnerably. (Narratives of a Vulnerable God, as my teacher Bill Placher titled one of his books, is a reflection for another time.)
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