Good morning Church!
Today I thought we could go through a devotional together to prepare our hearts for worship tomorrow. One of Mark's sermon reflection questions is, "What imperfections or weaknesses have you learned to accept in yourself? How has this acceptance impacted your relationships with others?" and it reminded me of Dr. Brene Brown's TED talk on shame and vulnerability. Let's watch it together:
Brené Brown: The power of vulnerability | TED Talk
I love that as she reflects on her research she finds that the people who have a strong sense of love and belonging, believe they are worthy of love and belonging. And that she says the thing that keeps us out of connection is the fear that we are not worthy of connection.
"And so here's what I found. What they had in common was a sense of courage. And I want to separate courage and bravery for you for a minute. Courage, the original definition of courage, when it first came into the English language -- it's from the Latin word "cor," meaning "heart" -- and the original definition was to tell the story of who you are with your whole heart. And so these folks had, very simply, the courage to be imperfect."
Let's look at Pastor Mark's question again: "What imperfections or weaknesses have you learned to accept in yourself? How has this acceptance impacted your relationships with others?"
As we reflect on this question, let's remember the characteristics of God. We can remember the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22&23 which are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That is what God feels like, and sounds like. As we think on our imperfections we can remember that God does not shame us, but wants us to have connection with us and with one another. And, in our own spiritual formation, we recognize that God loves us despite our imperfections- but it's God's goodness that leads us to repentance. Not shame. Let me repeat that again: it's God's goodness that leads us to repentance. (Romans 2:4).
So if we really let Dr. Brene Brown's research affect us, we can turn to Jesus. We can turn to the cross. We can be courageous in seeking connection with one another by being vulnerable, and we can create space for the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts- connecting with God's presence and allowing God to transform us.
"The other thing that they had in common was this: They fully embraced vulnerability. They believed that what made them vulnerable made them beautiful. They didn't talk about vulnerability being comfortable, nor did they really talk about it being excruciating -- as I had heard it earlier in the shame interviewing. They just talked about it being necessary."-Brene
Take some time to reflect and pray. Take some time with the Lord and allow God to work in you. I will do it with you.
Peace be with you friends,
Chelsea Maitland,
Worship Leader