GROWING IN VULNERABILITY

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” (1 Cor 1: 18)

When does “the word of the cross” become “folly” to me? When I slip into resentment, self-pity, and egocentrism. In these states of mind my growth is stunted, and I place myself among “those who are perishing.” These states of mind are closed in on the self, asking the wrong questions, like: How have I been wronged? What haven’t others done for me? And it goes around in circles, because I can’t control “others”; I can’t change “others.”

The “word of the cross,” on the other hand, is one of self-giving and hence of growth, because self-giving brings me out of myself. It brings me out, into the vulnerability and sunlight of the “power of God,” where I grow through the ups and downs of humble openness.

Today let me hear, and let me do, “the word of the cross,” asking the right questions: How have I wronged others? What can I do for fellow-strugglers today? Let me be open to “being saved” today, in the great outdoors of Christ’s Self-giving. “So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.” (Hebr 13: 13)

#1Cor118 #Hebr1313 #growinginvulnerability #vulnerability