One of the things I love about to the Bible is how vivid and real it is. You don’t just read about the Hallelujah praises after the sea has parted, the victory speeches after the battles been won, the land of milk and honey..
Nope!
You get the unfiltered side too- You bare witness to the thoughts that go through one’s head moments before they enter into battle and the cries for deliverance from the wilderness, barren deserts, storms, etc..
Let’s take a piece of David’s story for example. When I think of him my mind immediately goes to the battle scene between him and Goliath- The conquest. The victory. The praise.
But what is equally as powerful about David’s story is his vulnerability. I am moved by his humility when I read his cry to God for help in Psalm 86:
“Lord, listen to me and answer me. I am poor and helpless. Protect me, because I worship you. My God, save me, your servant who trusts in you. Lord, have mercy on me, because I have called to you all day”
I envision him- head bowed and crying out this prayer in the same broken but not defeated way that I’ve come to God with so many times, too.
Many of my friends/family members would be surprised to hear about this side of myself. I admit that I publicly display the portraits of my life that make me appear as more valiant and less vulnerable.
The rainbow, not the storm.
The victory lap, not the 6 months of training prior.
The final website, not the countless hours spent alone in my living room preparing it.
It’s normal- we’re programmed to think that “vulnerability” is something we should hide.
On the health journey we see the 12-weeks-after photo, but we hardly hear about the discipline it took to wake up for those 5am workouts and refuse the free garlic bread/chips at the social functions.
We see the Billboards and magazine covers, but we hardly hear about the girl who went from audition to audition to even more auditions despite 4pm LA traffic hour, humidity delayed NYC subways, the you’re ‘not enough vs too much’ criticism, etc..
We see the Graduation Photos, but we hardly hear about the sleepless nights it took to get that degree while juggling graveyard shifts
We see the “Just moved to [Insert country here] to travel abroad” but we hardly hear about the months of working overtime and applying for scholarships to save up beforehand in order to make that dream a reality.
We see the girl standing outside the office on her first day in a corporate two piece suit, but we hardly hear about when that same girl went through countless rounds of interviews only to get a generic rejection email before the last round- This cycle on repeat for 6 months before that ‘dream job’ door was opened.
I am not saying that you shouldn’t post praise reports. Just the opposite, God tells us to share His testimonies and all His loving goodness with the world!
What I am saying is you don’t need to wait until you’ve reached XX milestone to Rejoice and Celebrate! There’s equally beautiful, powerful, and inspiring testimonies in your day to day- and one day you may realize those small wins were really the big ones.
It’s these little victories, little glimpses of hope, that give us the strength to keep moving towards the goal!
YES- you should be celebrating those days you decide to show up and BE the light- even when you don’t feel His presence and you don’t “feel” like it..
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes … Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people”.
Step by step, day by day.
Showing up and showing up again and again- in His armor. In His Love. In His strength.
From my heart to yours,
Grace
This post largely inspired by:
- Transformation Church Sermon: Planted but not Buried
- Brene Brown: The Power of Vulnerability
- Brene Brown: Super Soul Sunday: Daring Greatly Part 1
