God in Our Vulnerability by Oluwanifemi Aikomo

God in Our Vulnerability

**Oluwanifemi Aikomo**

Day 1 of 4: You Don’t Always Need Your Sunday Best

Growing up, I was taught to always come to Church in my best Sunday clothing. Metaphorically speaking, this can mean hiding all your pain and concealing it with the best outfits so no one else sees it. "Come as your best self and keep all the pain you feel back at home."

As a young child in the Church, I related my church to where I saw and met with Jesus. And that meant to me that I should always come to meet Jesus in my best outfit, never come as I am, never come the way I feel. Always come to Jesus with my best Sunday Outfit.

This same mindset has grown with so many of us, that as we mature in our faith, we may come to see vulnerability as something unacceptable. We only want to come to Jesus when the conditions are right. We think Jesus does not want us to come to him with sadness, anger, or disappointment. We fear vulnerability because we think it makes us weak; we might think we can only do our best when we have the strength. But the Bible says in Psalm 34:19 that if your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there; if you are kicked in the gut, God will help you catch your breath.

Do not feel ashamed to come to God in your brokenness and your pain. Do not be afraid. God does some of His best work when we are vulnerable, when we allow God to see the things that we don't want other people to see. Avoiding our pain is not good for us, and trying to hide our pain from God isn't either.

Jesus said,“Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me” (Matthew 10:38). And He wasn’t kidding. This wasn’t just a metaphor for Jesus, because he ended up dragging his cross to his own crucifixion. Jesus taught a lot about joy and love, but he also talked about how to embrace pain. It was central to Jesus’s teachings that facing our suffering and embracing vulnerability will help us find a clear picture of who God is. To Jesus, vulnerability is certainly not a weakness, but a sign of spiritual strength.

Reflect:
Today, do not approach God the same way you approach people. Do you think God only wants to meet you in your Sunday best? God wants you in your Sunday worst as well. He knows you are human and wants to bring you comfort and healing to overcome your suffering.

Day 1 of 4: You Don’t Always Need Your Sunday Best

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