My mom gave me some great advice some time ago (she gives a lot of great advice!) that stuck with me. She said "Always be authentic, regardless of what other people do because that is the only way to feel good about "you," and to maintain your self respect.
Let's look at some synonyms for the word authentic:
bona fide, genuine, real, true, undoubted, unquestionable. These adjectives mean not counterfeit or copied
The antonym for authentic is counterfeit.
I've seen this trait in my mom, throughout my life...and my dad, as well. My dad passed away 6 years ago, suddenly, from Leukemia and, at his funeral, the minister quoted a Bible verse that spoke volumes about him. "Though being dead, yet he speaks." The people at my dad's funeral all said the same things to us over and over, again, with a little variation... Friends, co-workers, neighbors..."Joe was the real deal. He was genuine, always the same, regardless of who was around. You knew, if Joe told you something, you could count on it as the truth and if he ever felt he had to compromise his values to do something, he wouldn't do it and would make it known, but in a humble way..." I want to be more like my dad was!
In our quest to be authentic, we need to take care to remain humble. When we are confronted with a situation that is offensive to what we believe is right or when asked a difficult question that makes it hard to answer, truthfully, we need to keep that humility as our close companion. But be authentic, we must. If we stand for nothing, as the saying goes, we will fall for anything. There are times that the only honorable thing to do is to let it be known that this isn't something I participate in or that I would appreciate it if you didn't share those types of emails with me...or I really don't want to be involved in talking about so and so. In doing this, we also gain the respect and confidence of our family and friends. My brother and I both had such confidence in the character, honesty and genuineness of our dad. That is a treasure worth far more than gold, friends! We aren't talking perfection - but authenticity! We saw his faults but so did he, which made them far more forgiveable!
There is also the authenticity that is needed when we are made to feel as though something we are doing is wrong and we, in the honesty of our hearts before God and with his Word as our confirmation, don't believe it is. In this, there are times to share our conviction and times when we simply choose to live, quietly and confidently, in the liberty that Jesus gave us, but not with an "in your face" mentality. Our first response is to consider what the loving thing is to do with the liberties we are afforded. It may mean modification of certain liberties in the presence of some individuals, not becasue we are being hypocritical but because God tells us that is a very serious offense to cause a brother or sister to stumble in their faith. (Romans 14:21, I Cor. 8:13, Luke 17:2) Love must always be the guiding factor. If we are asked, however, how we feel about a particular thing, our answer must be honest, tempered with a humble spirit. Remember, "A soft answer turns away wrath but harsh words stir up anger." (Proverbs 15:1)
There is yet another need for genuineness and that is speaking the truth with those we love and have relationships with. If we are only "yes" partners and friends, how are we genuine? How will we grow? Sometimes it isn't comfortable to be genuine. It is much easier to be a chameleon and change with the person or group we are with or not to speak a difficult truth in the face of a confrontational situation, but do we accomplish the greater good of showing the love of God this way? Ephesians 4:1-2 begs this of the believer: “…to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” After reading this part of the passage in Ephesians, only then are we ready for the verse later in the chapter,which tells us to "speak the truth in love." Speaking truth without love will lead to resentment and closed ears. Remember, in your delivery, God knows everything about YOU and yet he loves you and is gentle with you, when teaching you truths about yourself and his Word.
If we are people pleasers or are letting our pride rule, we will be tempted to forego genuineness in situations we really don't agree with but I'll leave you with this thought. Don't you have more respect for those who we stand for the true values they hold in their hearts, rather than just going along with status quo? There are millions of people who just go with the flow. When someone is genuine and humble in standing for what is right, others will take notice.
Let's ask God to give us the grace to be authentic in all of our relationships and to have humble hearts as we walk in the authenticity of who we are as Christians and as individuals.
Still Climbing,
Cher
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