To Open Their Heart, Open Yours

Vulnerability is so strange. It has the capacity to break open barriers and tie hearts in the tightest union.

People don't usually venture to show their vulnerability until they feel safe. No one wants to chance revealing their heart and risk devastation.

But sometimes we need to risk it.

There is beauty in laying out our soul for another in a way that opens it up for them to share their soul. Not to get something from them, but because they're worth the risk.

When my kids reached adolescence I found myself pulling back. I felt the sting of seeing them notice my faults and lower their awe. They noticed with more adult eyes my bad motivations and inconsistencies. They weren't easily soothed or distracted. Their adolescent minds could discount and challenge me.

I began closing a door that should've stayed wide open.

As I closed my doors, my children closed to me. It wasn't until I began opening my heart again and reaching out, despite the risk of rejection, that they could trust me with their hearts. It taught me a huge lesson.

We should be willing to risk laying down our pride and fears for the sake of those we love. We often expect others to take the first step towards us, when true love requires sacrifice~ being the first to apologize, speak or touch.

It's amazing how those around us blossom when we reach out, open our hearts to them and take the risk to love in a way that's difficult for us and tender for them.



Do you find it difficult to open your heart? Are you in relationship with people who make it easy?