I recently received a letter from a friend. It came in the mail — which I found made it a little more special before it was even opened. Letter writing is becoming a lost art. Taking the time to compose a letter, address and stamp an envelope, and get the sealed combination of the two to a mailbox is something that sounds simple. But in a world of email, instant messaging, texts, and the nearly outdated phone call, it requires more time and effort than a lot of people are willing to put in. A letter in a mailbox is instantly personal for the receiver.
The letter I received was from a friend who has been battling with her own struggles for a long time. It was a beautiful letter filled with vulnerability, authenticity, and encouragement. She spoke of her own fears and challenges sharing her story in a succinct yet poignant way. Her words of advice were few allowing her story to stand on its own merit with the only agenda being encouragement and an offer to listen when needed. It was amazing.
I’ve learned encouragement is best found wrapped in vulnerability. When encouragement lacks vulnerability it comes off as trite or cliche. At times it even comes across as logical. Logic can help you understand things, but it doesn’t connect with the heart or soul.
Encouragement without vulnerability lacks an impact because it feels like shallow words. But when it comes from a place of vulnerability and authenticity it connects at a deep level and can create positive change in a person’s mind and soul.
I love watching TED talks. If you aren’t aware of them, TED talks are short inspirational talks given by people who are thought leaders in their field. The videos are online at TED.com. The reason some TED talks can literally get millions of views is because the speaker is willing to become vulnerable and communicate a message with complete authenticity. They surmount any fears of what could happen if they fail or are rejected, and they share their message because they believe it could change the world.
It may be lofty to think offering encouragement to an individual could change the world, but it could change their world. It could help them see the world in a positive way. It could help heal a wound in their soul bringing freedom to the way they live.
The second chapter of James in the Bible discusses how faith without works is a dead faith. He references Abraham being willing to sacrifice Isaac and Rahab protecting the spies while they were being hunted as examples of people who put their faith into action. Both Abraham and Rahab made themselves vulnerable in order to act. They had to put themselves in a position of not knowing what the outcome would be. It could be good, or it could turn out horribly bad. But they put themselves out there anyway.
Life-changing moments are made of vulnerability. You put yourself out there, and it seems scary as hell because you aren’t sure how you will be received or what the outcome will be. You expose a piece of your soul you would much rather keep hidden. But when you do it, you discover, in some small way, the world around you has become better.