Today's Devotional on Leading and Loving It:
Kay Warren
"While authenticity & transparency are often talked about simultaneously, they are really quite different. Authenticity is you being genuinely you no matter the location, situation, or audience watching. No masks. No fake. No phoniness. Just you being the imperfect, yet uniquely gifted person you are.
However, transparency is something else. Being transparent is being completely see-through. This is allowing people into the deeply personal, private side of your life sharing your intimate struggles & celebrations, challenges & victories. It’s not necessary to be completely transparent with everyone, but we absolutely must be transparent with a few someones. We allow people into the very private side of our lives because accountability is only as good as the transparency & trust you are able to bring into a few relationships.
Not being completely transparent with every person you lock eyes with doesn’t mean that you are inauthentic. It does mean that you are protecting part of your private life, & you certainly have that right. Be careful to always be authentically you, because our public lives should always be a reflection of our private lives.
Take some time to examine your private life. What, if anything, is not being reflected in your public life? Take that to God today."
My Personal Reflection:
I always strive to be as authentic & transparent of who I am, regardless of who it is around or how uncomfortable it can be, with of course certain necessary boundaries in place. I've learned those are some of my strongest attributes, while I know it can still be a daily struggle for myself or something others deeply struggle with.
Trust me though, I wasn't always strong in those areas. After going through an AMAZING ministry like Restoration, it is so vitally important to be true to who you are, even in the good or bad time, & to allow a certain degree of vulnerability that can be uncomfortable.
I honestly think it can be a little too easy to be that family member, friend, or leader who is always open & honest - in other words, telling it like it is to those around us who need to hear it. But what we all can fall short in is with applying that same hard truth to ourselves & allowing to confront our own issues, maybe even the same ones, we see in others. Are we telling it like it is to ourselves or going to people who may need to bring forth certain truths to us? I firmly believe that when someone confides in us, we can give all the hard truths in words to that person, but we can also take it & see where do we stand in that same hardship, so that we can always give the most authentic & transparent wisdom to them. I don't believe God brings forth anything to us for no reason & what someone else is struggling with, we can always turn around to apply those truths to ourselves.
Regardless of position, none of us are see all/know all - that wisdom, authority & position is reserved for the great man upstairs! It is something I had to truly even humble myself in the past week & realize I am no better or above any person whether in my marriage, running a company, my personal & family life, or in church life & the worship ministry. My gift/talent is music, but my passion is connecting with people & showing hospitality to those who need to know they are valued in love because I know I struggle with it myself. God wants us to boldly come before His throne, & bow before him in a contrite & broken spirit. No one ever has it all together - that is NOT the norm. We have to examine our posture. Are we bowed in holy reverence or are arms raised in joyous praise, regardless of our circumstances?
No posture is greater than another. We all bring something valuable to the table that is essentially vital to build things into something great - God sees & He honors that. Now, leadership does place certain levels of responsibility & authority over others, but we must always remember where our heart is in those moments & to never overstep that places us in the sense we are above others because we have THAT authority or we may be at different walks of life.
To end this, the most each of us can do is to continue to pray, invest, & get deeper with those God has placed around us. Being a leader can be tough - you may find yourself questioning your next action or decision, because you are passionate about what you are leading & setting an example in. When we remain obedient in Him, this is what will continue to transform our lives, the lives of others, & grow the kingdom of God. This only can take place thought deeper authenticity, transparency, vulnerability, & examining our hearts & attitudes.
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