When I was in first grade, I remember that I went to sit down at my desk. To be funny, a boy that was sitting next to me had pulled my chair out from under me and I had fallen on the ground. My teacher made him say he was sorry. Then she looked at me.

"It's okay." I said softly. My teacher looked at me again,

"No, it's not okay because you got hurt."

You've experienced it, I have, and so has the rest of the world. We've all had those moments or gone through those times when we've put on a smile and said "I'm okay." Meanwhile, we are falling apart on the inside and are the farthest thing from okay.

I remember that breakup and how many times I got asked if I was alright. Or the time when I lost somebody I loved. Or when I felt like no one understood me. Each of those occurrences met with "I'm okay." While my heart said, "No, I'm really not. I'm hurting."

Eventually, I thought to myself, why do we do this?

And then I realized how vulnerable humans can be.

Most of us really don't like letting others in. Our society has put this idea in our heads that we should always be happy. And if we are not happy, then we must be doing something wrong. How untrue of an idea that is.

Personally, I don't like being vulnerable and open with too many people. I never understood this idea of everybody knowing what was going on in my life. I always felt like that should be my business and concern and no one else's. However, I have realized that oftentimes, being vulnerable can also be a beautiful thing. It enables you to let others in who merely want to help. From there, you may find that person to be a source of healing. You can then provide hope and comfort to someone else who may be feeling or experiencing the same thing. Life can be funny that way.

I remember the moment when I decided to do this.

I had been going through a very rough point in my life. Everybody knew it. You could see it when you looked at me. But I was feeling so much sadness and pain, that I didn't say much at the time. I remember I was eating dinner in my college dining hall. Suddenly, an acquaintance of mine came over to me. He could see I was exhausted, sad, and hurting. He said to me, "Are you okay?"

"No," I answered. "No, I'm not okay."

It was one of the most freeing moments I've ever had. To come to peace with the fact that I was not okay, and that, in itself, was okay. I had been hurt. So, all the emotions I was feeling were welcome. I was allowed to feel what I wanted to feel. That, my friends, was a beautiful thing. Many of us have this idea that we are only supposed to reveal and present the good, polished parts of ourselves. The parts that are happy, carefree, and optimistic. But if we walk around with this mindset long enough, pretty soon, we will start to think that if we don't always feel that way, there must be something wrong with us. And that's simply not true nor realistic. We are not being fair to ourselves either.

Life happens. Sometimes we fall down and sometimes we get hurt. And sometimes its hard and sad and ugly. But that is not something to hide and be ashamed of. It's something normal.

In fact, I've come to learn that oftentimes, when we don't be vulnerable and down-to-earth with people, we hinder ourselves and others. We eliminate the potential for great healing. If we would only reach out and open up a little more to a few more people, we would discover that we are not alone as individuals. There are so many people in this world who are experiencing something similar to us.

Because don't you know that from there, this friend of mine was able to help me greatly. He was able to say, "Hey, I've gone through that before. And I've made it and I'm so much happier now. You will get through this." If I had not decided to allow myself to have a moment of transparency and vulnerability, I would not have discovered the peace and hope that was waiting for me on the other side. It was an incredible thing.

So, if you are going through a storm in life, let me encourage you to dare to be open and transparent with those who want to help. Invite them into the journey of life with you. Share your greatest joys and your deepest pains with your loved ones. On the other side of vulnerability could be your greatest source of healing. I promise you, you are not alone.