Love is Vulnerable

I think the greatest human need is to love and be loved. I remember a story my friend, David Ogunde, a film producer, once told me. It’s about a lion and a tiger in a zoo, and it speaks powerfully about love and vulnerability.

A struggling zookeeper, unable to afford real animals, asked his staff to wear costumes. One day, a performer dressed as a lion got carried away and jumped into the tiger’s enclosure. Startled, the real tiger became defensive, and the fake lion panicked, fearing for his life. But then, something unexpected happened. The tiger, seeing the fear in the lion’s eyes, leaned in and whispered, “We are the same. Keep pretending.”

In that moment, the fake lion realised he wasn’t the only one hiding behind a disguise. They were both simply trying to survive in a world where showing their true selves felt risky. Isn’t that how we sometimes approach love? Afraid of rejection, we wear masks, pretending to be stronger, better, or less broken than we truly are.

The Bible paints a different picture of love—one where vulnerability is embraced, not feared. “Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame” Genesis 2:25. From the beginning, love was designed to be open, honest, and without pretence. True love says, “I see you as you are, and I’m not turning away.” This is the love Christ demonstrated—“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). He didn’t love us because we were perfect but in spite of our flaws.

Yet, like the fake lion, we often hide. We fear that if people see the real us, they won’t accept us. But “There is no fear in love. Perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Love, when it is real, does not demand perfection. It invites us to be authentic, to trust, and to give grace.

When the tiger whispered, “We are the same,” he offered understanding instead of judgment. That’s the heart of love—accepting one another, not for appearances, but for who we truly are. “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love” Ephesians 4:2. We don’t have to pretend. We don’t have to hide. Love calls us to drop the mask, to embrace each other with grace, and to walk in the freedom of knowing we are fully known, yet fully loved.

So let us love without fear, without shame, and without masks, knowing that in God’s perfect love, we are always accepted, always embraced, and always free.

Kay Alli