From Kevin Gerald
It was a day unlike any other day in history. For his entire life, David had dreamed of a time when the highly revered national artifact known as the Ark of the Covenant would be brought back to a place of prominence in the now prosperous city of Jerusalem as he symbol of God’s presence in the nation.
David had envisioned this day for years— the day he would bring the Ark to the city where it belonged and, in doing so, would give the people something to celebrate and the God of their fathers the glory He deserved.
To say it was festive would be an understatement.
Especially when the king himself broke royal protocol by taking off his royal robes, wrapping his linen garments up around his waist, and heading out into the streets.
The streets were not where the king was expected to be.
Then the music in him met the music around him. He started dancing with those who danced and celebrated alongside the working-class people. He was unreserved in his joy and unrestrained in his celebration.
Michal, David’s wife, sat in a window above the street and staring down at David with a look of contempt on her face.
When you read the Scripture, you might conclude that David’s wife was mad at him because he took off his clothes and danced in the streets. In reality, it wasn’t about that. David was physically clothed. Michal was angry because David had taken off the royal robes that were protocol for a king to wear in public. Evidently, he wanted to have a good time singing and dancing in the streets, but the royal robe was too stuffy, too formal. So David removed his garments so that he could join in the party.
To Michal, it was ridiculous. It was careless. It was overexposure. For David to be in the streets, vulnerable, expressive, interactive, felt dangerous, even reckless to her.
The problem for us comes when we get stuck in the window like Michal, but we still expect to experience the relational growth that can only happen when we drop our guard, stop protecting ourselves, and do life in an open, walls-down way. Relationships won’t get better by staying in the window; they only get better in the street. Marriages, friendships, families get stronger in the place where people interact, mingle, engage, and yes, become vulnerable.
Everything about us gets stronger when we live with vulnerability, openness, and confidence. There’s a freedom we gain when we drop our guard and engage life with certainty. Vulnerability is defined as the quality or state of being exposed to the possibility of being attacked or harmed. Simply put, it’s openness that exposes your thoughts, ideas, effort, work, and/or leadership, all while knowing that others might criticize and judge you for it.
This book is about a decision we all face. A decision we make repeatedly, often without even knowing it. This decision positions us in one of two places. And it not only influences but also ultimately determines our life experience. We can either watch from the window or dance with abandon in the streets.
