Are you Feeling Vulnerable? Finding Courage by Trusting God

Feeling vulnerable is an uncomfortable position, at least for me. I experienced a situation that made me evaluate how to come to terms with vulnerability and how my faith and trust in God would make me courageous.

Are you feeling vulnerable? There is a way to find courage and trust God.

What Does it Mean to Feel Vulnerable?

Standing outside my hotel waiting for a ride to the airport, a small sedan parked beside me. The driver slowly rolled down his window and asked, “1510 shuttle?” “Oh no!” I said, “but thank you.”

What an odd name for a shuttle company, “1510”.

I was relieved I had ordered a group shuttle from a reputable company and did not have to jump into a car with a stranger.

As I continued to wait, Mr. 1510 approached again, “Are you, Ms. Armand?” I nodded as a disturbing realization began to sweep over me. He explained that he covered overflow for the company I had called, “I am your 3:10 shuttle (& BTW, 1510 is military time) Why don’t you hop in the front seat?”

What, this is not what I ordered, and who pulls up and yells out military time to an unsuspecting passenger? My pulse quickened as I got into his car.

I looked around to see if anyone was watching or had a startled expression. No one even noticed; yep, I was feeling vulnerable.

I was not expecting this flood of angst to hit me in this ordinary situation.

When I ask what does it mean to feel vulnerable? This encounter is an example of when I struggle to find courage; at least on the inside.

Feeling Vulnerable Helps You Trust God

I found myself sitting a couple of feet from someone I didn’t know and in his control. As I prayed about my irrational fear, I came face to face with the realization that I was feeling vulnerable, uncomfortable, and trapped in this intimate setting.

This situation made me feel Vulnerable–susceptible to physical or emotional harm.

Emotional vulnerabilities can leave us feeling just as afraid as if we were in physical danger. In these moments it seems easier to let fear take over, but we can chose another option–acknowledge our feelings and realize feeling vulnerable helps us trust God to maintain our peace.

Why do we fear feeling vulnerable?

1. We are afraid to feel vulnerable and acknowledge our needs and weakness
2. We are afraid we are alone in our feelings and God won’t be with us
3. We are afraid that we deserve what we are getting and are unworthy of being rescued.

When we realize in our weakest vulnerable places, God is with us, feeling vulnerable loses its power over us.

Situations that Lead to Feeling Vulnerable

Many situations in life make us fearful, cause us to lose courage, and feel vulnerable.

Here are some common situations that lead to feeling vulnerable.

• Starting a new job, learning a new skill or entering a new season of life
• Walking into a room of people we don’t know
• Having an uncomfortable conversation
• Asking someone to forgive us
• Being transparent about our feelings
• Admitting we are afraid or need help

How to Find Courage

When we encounter any of these situations, figuring out how to find courage is not our dominant thought. It’s usually fear, avoidance, anger, distraction, or retreat.

But when we are feeling vulnerable, there is another way to overcome fear and find courage.

In Matthew 14, Jesus instructed His disciples to cross the Sea of Galilee ahead of Him, so He could spend time in prayer:

“Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o’clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. “A ghost!” they said, crying out in terror. But Jesus was quick to comfort them. “Take Courage, it’s me. Don’t be afraid.”

Although the disciples were in greater danger than I was in a shuttle, Jesus’ message to them to “take courage” resonates.

To “take courage” is to be purposeful and unwavering in our pursuit of courage; as if we are holding on to something that already belongs to us.

We can be brave and grow through the process!

The disciples saw Jesus walking toward them and were afraid until He spoke and comforted them.

What Does the Bible Say about Courage?

We are guaranteed to face situations where we need courage (rational or not). What does the Bible say about courage? Many scriptures and stories will provide strength and courage when we are feeling vulnerable.

Reading about the life of Jesus in the Bible brings great comfort and peace.

Jesus waits to comfort us if we stop, call out to Him (audibly or in our spirit), and listen to His voice.

With God’s help through the Bible and prayer, we can balance our uneasy feelings with calm and steady feelings as we walk through uncomfortable situations.

Taking courage will not make us invulnerable, but it will help us boldly overcome with a new perspective that only His presence brings.

Bible Verses about Courage

Here are four Bible verses about courage to help when you are feeling vulnerable.

“Having hope will give you courage. You will be protected and will rest in safety.”

Job 11:18 NLT

“This is my command””be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 NLT

“I can see now, God, that your decisions are right; your testing has taught me what’s true and right. Oh, love me””and right now! Hold me tight! Just the way you promised. Now comfort me so I can live, really live; your revelation is the tune I dance to.”

Psalms 119:75 MSG

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,  the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us  in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV

Books on Courage and What Makes a Person Feel Vulnerable

There are many inspiring books to help you feel courageous. Here are two books on courage and what makes a person feel vulnerable.

• Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brene Brown

“Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. Based on twelve years of pioneering research, Brené Brown Ph.D., LMSW, dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage.”

• Get Out of Your Head by Jennie Allen

“Are your thoughts holding you captive? I’ll never be good enough. Other people have better lives than I do. God couldn’t love me. Jennie Allen knows what it’s like to swirl in a spiral of destructive thoughts, but she also knows we don’t have to stay stuck in toxic thinking patterns. Freedom comes when we refuse to be victims to our thoughts and realize we have already been equipped with power from God to fight and win the war for our minds.”

If you have a resource on how to overcome feeling vulnerable, I would love to hear about it in the comments!

Author

Mary Rooney Armand

Mary is the creator and writer for the faith-based blog ButterflyLiving.org. Her writing is featured on multiple websites. She is the author of, “Identity, Understanding, and Accepting Who I Am in Christ”  and “Life Changing Stories“—a collaboration with 34 authors available on Amazon.