The Power of Vulnerability

I've always worn my heart on my sleeve.

Ask anyone who knows me and they'll tell you that 99.9% of the time, I'm willing to tell you just about anything that you want to know about me and most of it falls in the realm of the intimate or the personal.

I don't know why.  But I find it liberating to be the first one at a cocktail party or a gathering of friends to start spilling the "real" stuff...the brutal challenges of motherhood, the craziness that is marriage or the cons of wearing a thong...not necessarily in that order.

I've just never been very good about talking about the weather or fashion or organic eating or...well, you get the picture.

And so, it was with extreme gratitude and a huge shout of praise to God that I stood humbled and joy filled when five women said yes to participating in an advent event that I'm organizing for a women's circle at my parish.

In a dress rehearsal of sorts, they came and shared their personal journeys of faith in preparation for the event next week.  As each woman spoke and cracked the facade of control, perfection and mystique that we like to show the world...my eyes filled with tears, my heart swelled with love, and my faith magnified as I realized beyond a shadow of doubt that God is indeed alive and well among us.

If there's one life lesson that I want to impart to my children it is that the faster you let judgement, condemnation, and righteousness go in favor of compassion, kindness, and empathy... joy and abundance in the simple will abound.

We should all do ourselves a favor and be not afraid to be vulnerable with one another.  We have nothing to lose and everything collectively to gain. 

A Time to Let Go and to Embrace

Today is the first day of Advent...the season of letting go of the worldly to open our hearts to God's unconditional love and grace.

So, what superficial things do we cling to that often paralyze us more than helping us? 

For me, it's a false sense of control and fear.

From the time I was a little person, I've always had a plan, always known just what I was meant to do.  My parents tell a story of me in a mock-Arby's uniform taking my dad's lunch order at the end of the driveway with a steno pad.  That little order taker grew up to wreak havoc on the speech and debate team, write for the school newspaper, cheer for the football team, give the commencement address to her high school classmates and eventually go off to college and graduate school.  Always having a plan, always hell bent to succeed and afraid of anything less.

So, when the doctor said, "Push...you can do it," and my son arrived, I no longer had a plan, no road map, no instructional manual.  Suddenly, the most important gift I'd ever been given was outside of me and I immediately had to trust that everything would work out.  And for the most part, it has...but definitely, not according to plan.

As human beings, we're limited.  We have a finite amount of time, energy, patience, stamina, competency, and experience.  We want the best for our lives and for those we love...but often, we fall short due to our selfishness, neediness, and desires.  The truth is that when we let go and trust...a much better and sustainable outcome manifests itself.  We just have to believe.  It's the magic of faith.

What is holding you back from experiencing the fullness of God's love?