Sometimes talking about Jesus makes us vulnerable — especially if it’s done seriously and with open hearts. It makes us vulnerable because the cross of Christ declares our failures, flaws, insecurities — all the things we don’t want others to know about us — to the world. For people who want to boast in themselves, it is very difficult to boast in Christ.

But merely talking about Christ and boasting in Christ are different things. It is far too easy for us to cover up our insecurities by talking about Christ without boasting in him. We discuss things in very theoretical, theological ways. We make generalizations and speak in broad terms rather than speaking about our own needs. We choose safe, stale language to describe ourselves rather than heart-felt language which opens us up to mockery or criticism. We maintain a veneer of control over our lives despite the fact that our hearts are full of turmoil. We fail to talk about someone we love and instead talk about facts concerning him.

The problem is quite often not what we say but how we say it. We are masters at dodging the guilt and shame we’re due. And we do it because we are more afraid of the sinners we speak to than we are in love with the One we speak about.

But Paul did something entirely different. He boasted in his weaknesses in order to glorify Christ (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). When we aren’t most vulnerable, Christ isn’t most glorified because he died for us while we were yet weak. Be vulnerable for Christ’s sake.