Blog

No doubt these last 2 years have changed us and changed the world we live in. We have been deeply impacted by the vulnerability of life.

In response we have seen and are still seeing the ‘Great Resignation’ as people resign from their workplaces, lives and locations, and sort new lives, new jobs and new places to live in.

I was chatting to a lady in the Fresh Fruit shop the other day. She used to be a hairdresser, then Covid came. She is now working in the Fruit and Vegetable Shop just like her folks had when she grew up. She said to me, “I needed a change from what I had done for so long. I just wanted to opt out from my life and start a new.”

Opt out. As I have been able to return to leading live trainings for Organizations and groups again, this has been the consistent feedback. People have opted out of life.

Business after business I speak with, are short-staffed. One business owner I was chatting with this week said in the past she would receive 30 applications a month, now she receives 2. Organizations that depend on volunteers, are struggling for help.

It’s not like there is a lack of people available, it’s that people are opting out of how they used to do life and what used to take up their time.

So why the BIG OPT OUT?

No doubt life is vulnerable and haven’t we seen that in new ways the last 2 years? Vulnerability came smashing into our worlds and invaded every area of our lives and had to do something with it. Many it seems armoured up against it. Hard not to!

We spend so much of our life, whether it is in business, whether it is in our personal life trying to negate risk, trying to eliminate uncertainty, trying especially to not have emotional exposure that comes with vulnerability.

We take out insurance policies against everything possible in an attempt to not get bitten by vulnerability. We have witnessed governments mandate against it. Our whole world is set up trying to decrease vulernability because we believe the myth that we can opt out of vulnerability. 

Vulnerability is risk, uncertainty and emotional exposure and yet these vital aspects make possible the very things we long for deep in our hearts, the very things we were made for.

But the PROBLEM IS WHEN WE ARE ARMOUR UP AGAINST VULNERABILITY WE ARMOUR AGAINST CONNECTION, LOVE, BELONGING AND JOY which is also at the centre of vulnerability. 

When we opt out of vulnerability, we opt out of the very thing we are made for and wired for even physiologically, connection.

What gives life meaning, what gives life purpose is connection. We are made for it.

God is all over connection. In actual fact connection is who God is. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  GOD is 3 in 1, 1 in 3. He is the perfect picture of connection, of oneness. There is relationship in the Godhead. They are perfectly secure in their love, loyalty, honor, purpose, affection and identity with each other. They know joy, connection and belonging with each other. 

But connection is not only who God is, it is also His goal with us. God pursues connection with us, and this required Him to be vulnerable. 

Vulnerability was Jesus. Nothing more vulnerable than being born a baby. But his willingness to be vulnerable had an ultimate moment, the cross. 

Something had to die for connection to take place. Opting in “he emptied himself of his outward glory by reducing himself to the form of a lowly servant. He became human! He humbled himself and became vulnerable.. He was a perfect example, even in his death.” Philippians 2:7-8 

God has not opted out of vulnerability, because He has NOT opted out of connection and love. 

He is still pursuing you. He is longing for even greater joy, connection and purpose with you. There is more! 

We all do vulnerability. To be alive is vulnerable. To be human is to up against risk, uncertainty & emotional exposure all the time. We actually can’t opt out of it. 

So do you know what you do when you are in vulnerability? To PRETEND WE ARE NOT VULNERABLE, actually MAKES US THE MOST VULNERABLE and MOST SUSCEPTIBLE and that’s when we suffer the most.

One way or another, it will find us in our new location, our new job, our new relationships. And one way or another God will find us because there is more. This is just a new beginning.