Guilt, Shame and Vulnerability

"Guilt, Shame and Vulnerability"

(Wow! This is going to be fun post to read!! What a great way to start my Monday! Thanks David!!)

Many of our lives seem to be heavily influenced by these three words.
How about yours?

Guilt - feeling remorseful about a recognized wrong doing toward one's self or another oftentimes framed as, "I made a mistake."

Shame - an internalized feeling of negative self reflection oftentimes framed as, "I am a mistake." Branding our self with phrases such as "I'm not good enough" and "I'm not worthy enough" also apply.

Vulnerable - the courage to open one's self to those around us in a way that is completely honest, totally authentic, with no pretense and no pretending that oftentimes leads to the heartbeat of creativity, innovation and change oftentimes framed as, "I am going out on a limb here..."

My iWitness...

When do you feel most alive?

What activity do you participate in where you feel God's pleasure?

When do you feel most vulnerable?
"I am going to go out on a limb here and propose that when we are the most vulnerable, it is then that we feel most alive, most energized, most aware, and most afraid. All five senses are in full overdrive and our pulse quickens and our mind races like a Formula One driver."

What keeps us from being vulnerable?
More than likely the culture that surrounds us identifies "vulnerability" with "weakness."

Hogwash!!! (That's the nicest way for me to put it...)

Have you ever witnessed someone be totally vulnerable?
What word comes to mind when you observe this?

I don't know about you, but "courage" is what comes to my mind.
Then, why are we so unwilling to be vulnerable?
Because we are weak!
Do you know what happens when we are not vulnerable?
We become "strong" which then leads to "secrecy" because we don't want anyone to know just how weak we really are and "secrecy" leads to a whole host of dysfunctional, disillusioned deficiencies that leave us weakened, bitter, adamant, tight fisted, stiff necked control freaks fueled by an incredible sense of shame.

Do you know who stopped this crazy circle and cycle of life by going out on a limb, literally?

Jesus...

And He can help you stop yours too...
I know He has helped me stop mine...

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy,
² complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

⁵ Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,
⁶ who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
⁷ but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. ⁹ Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
(Philippians 2. 1-11)

And that's my iWitness...
Laugh often and Fear not!
David!