After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:1-11, 16-20)
I have one big flaw – I mean, I have lots of flaws, but the one I stumble over constantly is my pride. I’ve been raised believing the “big American dream” of doing it all on our own, pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps, being a self-made man (or woman in this case). So when hard times hit, I buckle in and stride forth to battle whatever has come.
A few years ago, I had a major medical issue. I broke out in a rash all over and my skin began to crack and bleed, especially my hands and feet. It got so bad I could barely walk and had to take an accommodation at work so I didn’t have to try and drive into the office and walk. I worked from home for 2 months while I dealt with the pain. The dermatologist was stumped and ordered test after test to try and find out what was wrong. I did what I had to do, covered myself in vaseline, and just kept pushing through. I never really talked to God about it, I figured it must be something I’d done to myself – living life as a plus sized woman means I internalize a lot of my medical issues. So I bullied up and just kept going.
Then the dermatologist ordered a special blood test. This test was to see if I had high amounts of certain platelets in my blood. Elevated amounts meant only one thing: pancreatic cancer. I immediately freaked out. I called my sister. I called a few friends. I was in a spiral, going down, down, down.
But I still didn’t talk to God about it.
It wasn’t until I had a sleepless night that I opened my bible and began reading 1 John. I comforted myself with his words. Then I realized that in my pride, I had failed to turn to the one being in the universe who would hold me and comfort me. I sat in my chair and laid it all out to God. I finally turned to Him and gave Him all I had.
I felt so much better after I did that and made sure I got back into the habit of talking to God as much as I could.
Opening up to God means putting aside your pride and being vulnerable with Him. That’s one of the hardest things for me to deal with and maybe you’ve had times when it’s that way for you.
Being vulnerable to God means baring your whole soul – flaws and all – to the one and only being who can judge you for them, but who also totally loves you! How scary is that?? Being vulnerable with God means opening up to Him completely and doing your best to hear His voice as you stumble through the world, mistakes and all.
I thought about being vulnerable with God while I read today’s Gospel reading. At times, I’ve tried to imagine what it must have been like back during Jesus’s time on earth. Being a disciple meant giving up everything to follow Jesus. Would I have the courage to do that today? I have to say that I honestly don’t know if I would have. But those disciples did. And when Jesus sent out the 70 to bring news of His coming, they went. He told them to “Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road”. Could you do that? Would you do that?
We don’t know if those 70 people had doubts or questioned what Jesus asked of them. We only know that they heard Him and went.
Being vulnerable means to be unguarded. To be completely open to what may come. Another synonym means to be exposed. Being vulnerable to God means to completely rely on Him and His protection. To allow his grace, mercy, and love to surround you and lift you up. It’s not easy at all – you may be filled with fear, as I was. After all, being vulnerable with people means opening yourself up to harm. I cannot count how many times I’ve been vulnerable with other people and walked away hurt and broken.
It’s not like that with God. He knows you fully – better than you know yourself. And He loves you.
What does being vulnerable with God look like?
First off, we need to accept that God loves us completely. Many of us see our flaws and brokenness and wonder how God can love us with all the bad things we’ve thought or done.
Understand, my friends, that God is love. God is mercy. Once you accept God’s true love for you, you’ve taken the first step in being vulnerable.
Secondly, we need to hand everything over to God. He is our light. He is our redemption. Spend time in prayer and contemplation. Sometimes words fail me and I don’t know what to say to God. That’s when I turn to the Psalms or the Book of Common Prayer to find words that help me communicate what I’m feeling. God doesn’t care if you use words that have already been written! Tish Harrison Waters, in her book “Prayer in the Night”, talks about how she turned to Compline during a very difficult time in her life. When she didn’t have the words to talk to God, she found strength in words that others have said over and over for hundreds of years.
Thirdly, we need to reflect on the words of Thomas Merton: “A humble man is not afraid of failure. In fact, he is not afraid of anything, even himself, since perfect humility implies perfect confidence in the power of God.”
God has your back and my back completely. God believes in you 100%. That should fill you and me with joy AND humility, and help us to Believe in God and Trust in God.
You may encounter demons and scorpions on your path, as the disciples did, but keep leaning on God. You may encounter those who reject you or who refuse your greeting of peace. Even then seek to trust God completely. We should open ourselves up to Him every day.
Being vulnerable with God will change your life.
For when we trust in God; when we are vulnerable before him, then we are carrying nothing but our love for God and God’s love and power in us, as Jesus sends us forth to give the message of God’s love and peace to those whose house or city we enter.