I recently heard Scott Hamilton vulnerably share his struggles on a Focus on the Family podcast. 

Scott was a scrawny, sickly boy whose life revolved around numerous doctor visits and being teased by kids for being adopted. No one could figure out his ailment and his parents exhausted their resources trying. 

He felt like a failure until one doctor suggested ice skating to help improve his health. Scott liked the ice, but he spent more time on his bottom than on his feet.

He persevered while his mom battled cancer until he eventually won a gold medal. And that is how we remember him, an Olympic superhero. 

As global workers, people view us like superheroes because we are willing to risk it all and follow Jesus. But people forget that we struggle like everyone else underneath our capes. 

Why is being vulnerable so important? 

On the night Jesus was betrayed, after He broke bread with His disciples, Jesus took Peter, James, and John to the Garden of Gethsemane and asked them to pray. 

“He said to them, ‘My soul is swallowed up in sorrow - to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with Me.’” Matthew 26:38 

Jesus felt overwhelmed and chose to be vulnerable with His three closest friends, not all of His disciples. He needed their support and prayer. 

As global workers, we need to find someone that we can be vulnerable with. Someone we can trust and know that he/she will support and pray for us. Someone who loves us even after we “air our dirty laundry” and points us back to Christ. 

Being vulnerable requires humility and courage. What will they think of me if I share this? But it can deepen relationships and provide accountability. It reminds us that we aren’t alone and that others have struggles too.   

We can “carry one another’s burdens.” Galatians 6:2 

We may not be like Scott Hamilton and share our struggles on a public podcast, but may we privately find a few close friends that we can be vulnerable with. May we remove our capes, open our hearts, and allow others to help carry our burdens.