The Courage to Be Genuine

Not too long ago, my wife and I sat outside having one of our deep discussions. Somehow the topic moved to "Who in our lives do we really respect?". It was an interesting thing for me to ponder. Having been let down more than once by others I had mistakenly put on a pedestal, I am cautious with whom I toss the word "respect" around.

I think we typically look to people we deem "successful"; having something we'd like to have ourselves. Our definition of "successful" may revolve around the accumulation of wealth, power, knowledge, prestige, or fame. I have noticed that we, in general, will even look up to people who simply have the appearance of success, regardless if there actually is any real-life evidence to support the existence of it (such as a person who is a good speaker, dresses stylishly, or has several followers on Twitter or Vine). 

Upon meditating about these things, I found myself gravitating towards thoughts of people in my life who are authentic; people who are not posing as something they are not. I guess seven years of ministering to people as a counselor has opened my eyes to the value of a real relationship, where both parties are not interested in trying to put up a front. Painful life situations are not fun, but they certainly provide ample opportunity to take up the courage to risk finding and being yourself, no matter what anyone thinks.

Ironically, people who are on the road towards authenticity often do not even respect themselves at times. They struggle through difficult times and think they are somehow a failure because they do not have it all together. Taking off the masks and being real is far from easy.

Well, my message to you, if you are one of those people, is that I hold a deep respect for you. I recognize the courage it takes to be real and push forward in the midst of hardship. I honor the commitment to holding on to the authenticity you have discovered and refusing to revert back to the old ways of doing things. I applaud you for asking God the hard questions, not afraid to admit you are upset or even angry with Him at times. I admire the new heart God has given you and how you are taking steps of faith to put that good heart to use, in spite of that pesky "old self" popping up every now and again. But much more important than what my thoughts and opinions are about you, God honors and loves the fact that you are being who He created you to be.

While being genuine is not the only characteristic worthy of respect, it is the foundation from which many other respectable qualities spring forth. It fuels true relationship. Before any of us even had a relationship with God, we had to get real with Him about who we were and why we needed a Savior. For those of us still struggling with this journey, or perhaps contemplating taking off the masks for the first time, I can think of no greater expression of faith than to risk letting down our guards and simply being who God created us to be.