Stuttr.

There is a real fragility to our humanity.

For all the ways we try to present ourselves as put-together human beings, beneath it all lies a part of us that is afraid to be seen and known. From our social media posts, which showcase our best moments, to the times we are asked how we are doing only to reply, “Fine,” there is a part of ourselves that feels safer staying hidden.

And yet, the true beauty and strength of who we are is not found in who we want others to think we are. It is found in our weakness and vulnerability. The fragile places in our lives reveal our deepest need for love and acceptance. That need is only fully discovered and embraced when we live with honesty about who we are and who we are becoming.

I have spent much of my life learning this lesson the hard way.

I used to think that when meeting someone new, if I could get through a conversation without stuttering, then I could feel good about myself. My own sense of worth would rise.

The Trappist monk and theologian Thomas Merton called this the “false self.” He described it this way: “The man I want myself to be, but who cannot exist, because God does not know anything about him.” In those moments when my speech and my mind worked together seamlessly, I would begin to think, I’ve got this. My ego would swell, my confidence would rise, and suddenly I would feel ready to give a lecture on courage.

God has never met that guy.

At the root of the word courage, however, we find its true meaning: “to speak one’s mind by telling all one’s heart.”

Real courage—real strength—is found in living honestly within your weakness. The Apostle Paul uses this same paradoxical language in Second Epistle to the Corinthians 12, where he reminds us that divine power is most clearly seen through human limitation. This is where the Holy Spirit often does His deepest work.

Jesus invites us to live with courage—to stop hiding behind the false self and to tell our stories as they truly are. The people who are most deeply loved and accepted are often those who have come to terms with their vulnerability. God uses their stories, their fragility, and their honesty.

When you let others see who you really are, you give them permission to lower their own guard. They may just begin to embrace the story God is telling through them as well.

Bring people in. Tell your story. Live with courage. And watch how God uses it for His kingdom.