Confidence

You are listening to a message from Thrive Community Church, a church located in Southwest Florida. For more info, visit us at thrive-fl.org. We started last week a series on the book of 2 Corinthians called Vulnerability. Now, we, even like last week when I used that word, we got a lot of nods of how nobody really likes to talk about vulnerability, nobody likes vulnerability. You know, I get it. I get it. But it's just such a great theme when we look at this book of 2 Corinthians. And Brene Brown, any of you ever heard of her? She actually is the researcher on vulnerability. She has one of the top five, I think, TED Talks ever on the subject of vulnerability. She's written a number of books on it, and she happens to be a Christian as well. So, this is what she says about vulnerability. She says, Vulnerability is the last thing I want you to see in me, but the first thing I look for in you. Do you get it? It's like, I want to know that you are open to me, that I could share, and that you can understand my weaknesses, and my faults, and my failings, and all that stuff. But I don't want you to see, I don't want, it's just, there is this paradox going on here. And we talked about it last week, that Paul could have kind of put up his armor. He could have basically blown off the Corinthian church. They were his biggest problem church. And they were just filled with a lot of issues, and the two letters that we have, two out of three, and we said last week, thank God we don't have that third letter that probably falls in between, because it would have been the harsh letter. And the other two are harsh enough at moments. It's kind of like how a parent has to talk sometimes with the kids, right? Have you had those harsh talks ever with your children? Maybe, because you love them, right? You feel like you're pulling your hair out sometimes with them, but that's what you do. And Paul could have just said, blow it off, I'm leaving Corinth, it was a failed effort, moving on. And he could have gone to his churches like Philippi, and Thessalonica, and others that were much easier to work with. But he chose. And he chose a little more than what I'm talking about, because he chose to be open to them, and he knew for them to become open to God and what God really wanted in their lives, he would have to be open to them himself, and show himself vulnerable before them. And we get that all the way through this text. And vulnerability, a lot of people think it's weakness. You know, I've got to show me. Have you ever been in those small groups at work or something, and it's like, okay, everybody show one foible or fault, and everybody's like, oh, I don't want to do that again. Vulnerability is not weakness. Vulnerability is openness. Openness. That you're open to life, open to the life of another, open to love, open to what others have to say, open to serve them, open to criticism, yes, and open to difficulties and struggles and heartache. But it's openness. And that takes courage, actually. It's not something that's easy to do. It's risky. Of all people, I think Teddy Roosevelt, I know, somebody, I didn't know him. Any of you know him? Any of you? No, okay. Just a few years overlap in your lives? Okay. You were a child when he was older? Okay. Yeah, no. But you don't think of him being a rough rider and all, but I think he understood vulnerability. This is one of his more famous quotes. He said this, it is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming, but who does actually strive to do the deeds, who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly. Great quote, because in 2 Corinthians, we're seeing that Paul is the one who's in the arena. He's the one who's all in with the Corinthians. He is the one who strives valiantly, the one who faces his own shortcomings and his weaknesses, who knows great devotion and great enthusiasm, who spends himself on the most worthy of all causes, and who dares greatly. So that's what we're talking about when we're talking about vulnerability. It's not weakness, it's actually great strength and it's very hard to do, but boy, when you're doing it, it doesn't feel great. Just like courage doesn't feel courageous, and bravery doesn't feel brave, you're dealing with fears, you're dealing with risk, you're dealing with openness, and you are dealing with the possibilities of rejection, etc. And yet, it's the only way to really live, the only way to really live. And Paul's calling us to do exactly to follow him in ...