Desire: Authenticity

Ps 51: 1-4

¹Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your loving kindness;
According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my transgressions.
²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
And cleanse me from my sin.
³For I know my transgressions,
And my sin is ever before me.
⁴Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.

The entirety of this Psalm is one of the most honest and heartfelt Psalms that is recorded within the Scriptures. With anguish and devastation King David crawls before his King to proclaim these transgressions in complete and total vulnerability. No emotion is spared from being exposed in this sincere plea of confession, nor is any sin disguised in attempt to rebury the past and place it out of sight of the Eternal King. But rather he exemplifies what it means to be authentic and real before the One that knows him, loves him and treasures him.

What does it take for us to live our lives with this same authenticity? The “post modern generation” is known for wanting to see authentic and sincere individuals in all areas of their life, yet life seems to be an ever growing masquerade that enables fakeness in the name of authenticity. Three different types of individuals are seen living out their lives within our culture, the first being the sincere open book, which live their life openly and welcomes others to see who they truly are. The second is the sincere closed book, which are closed off to others seeing the inner parts for one reason or another. The last type of individual seems to be the counterfeit open book, which allows others to see all areas of their “life” but when held up to the light no watermark appears on the pages, revealing the fakeness held within.

The idea of becoming transparent with something that isn’t real seems oxymoronic at its core, yet this behavior is becoming so prevalent in our churches our homes and our everyday lives. To be truly vulnerable almost seems obscure and distant to so many yet at the same time so enticing. Maybe the simplistic conclusion is; an authentic life is this generation’s great adventure, where many talk about it and plan for it yet few embark upon it.

May we truly find what it’s like to become genuinely authentic with our lives so that we may feel the freedom this un-masked face brings…

Unwilling to be covered up

Chip