Transparency...
This is a word that has been on my heart a lot lately. It is in my human nature to want to live an opaque life where the messy parts are hidden from those around me. What I know though is when I am living in a place of non-transparency, that is when I lack spiritual growth.
Lynn Thompson says, "Real transparency occurs when I am comfortable being me, flaws and all, no matter what environment I find myself in."
Here is the way I see it...being real, honest and admitting our sins and struggles is not comfortable. Living transparent comes with freedom and peace. When we live open and honestly that is when we will begin to heal from the parts of our lives that we have kept dark and cloudy.
Proverbs 28:13 states, “He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.” And in James 5:16 tells us to “confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Living a transparent life not only heals us as sinners, it proclaims the greatness of our God. It shows that He is able to reconcile our brokenness and pain. It is time for us as followers of Christ to wipe away the (figurative) make-up and let the world see the person underneath.
I love how Gary Thomas states this.
“I think the biggest pitfall is distance from God; when we lie to people, we offend the God of truth, and that will create distance in our relationship with Him. We lose many teaching opportunities. Instead of learning from our sin and developing lessons that can be taught to and applied by others, we spend our energy and thoughts trying to cover up the truth. How can we speak the truth when we live in constant denial of the truth? We are kept in sinful patterns of living.”
Think about the amount of time and energy we waste while attempting to cover up our sins. Why don't we use that time to pray and allow Christ to transform us? Transformation through Christ leads to a transparent life. A life where we can say, "I have been there, but let me tell you what my God has done in my life. I am set free."
