transparency

Something may be personal, but never private.

I’ll bet you don’t like that statement. You probably don’t even agree with it at first. It goes against the grain of our human nature. See, we’re sinful, selfish people. And we like to think that we’re in control of our own lives. We think our issues are, well, ours. And we like to think that certain things are public and certain things are private. And if our private issues are ever addressed…if someone dares to poke around in “my” business…back up, Jack!

But God isn’t scared of our rage. And He isn’t intimidated by our threats. And (this may hurt a bit) He isn’t terribly concerned about our temporary happiness. See, this isn’t about you. And it’s not about me. This is all about Him. We exist for His glory, not our own. And the way we live is a reflection of who we serve. If we choose to serve a loving and kind God, we are loving and kind people. If we choose to serve our sinful and selfish egos, well…

If you would be honest with yourself (and God), you are pretty messed up. Even if you’re a follower of Jesus and have been for years, you are pretty messed up. Every one of us is dreadfully and chronically ill with sin. We try to stay away from it, but we can’t. We work hard and discipline our bodies to do the right things and think the right thoughts, but we fail. Over time we certainly do mature and grow and get better, but we never “arrive.” We never achieve sinlessness. So, the secret is this: stop pretending.

Transparency is all about being open, honest, simple and confessing. It means we stop acting like we have it all together. We cease the performances. We take off the masks. We allow the light of God to shine into and through our lives, driving away the dark prison of sin. It is intimately connected with our core value of authenticity, but with an important difference. Authenticity means knowing ourselves. Transparency means showing ourselves. It’s one thing to know our sin exists. It’s a whole different matter to willingly expose it.

And let’s not be naïve or foolish about it—not everyone needs to know everything. We would be complete morons to parade our deepest, darkest sins to the neighborhood. There is a time and a place for everything. But we all—each and ever one of us—need to find and use that time and place.

You know what I’ve never seen? A good secret. A healthy, helpful secret. We keep our secrets because we’re ashamed of them. We’re embarrassed and humiliated by some of the things we’ve said and done and become. And we think that if we can just keep them to ourselves, maybe they’ll go away. Maybe we’ll miraculously heal on our own. Maybe God will fix it all on His own. Of course, God will forgive us. He’s the only one capable of the forgiveness of sin. But we have some work to do also. If we really want healing, if we really want freedom, if we really want to live like Jesus, it requires a life of transparency.

Who do you know deeply enough to talk to about anything? No, I mean anything?! What person(s) in your life has permission to walk up to you and say, “What’s wrong with you? Something is not right.” Who loves you enough to be bold and honest, yet still loving and gracious? Holy Seed Community Church is that kind of place. It’s an environment of safety and trust that’s filled with flawed, sinful people. We expose our junk not to gloat or compare, but to share the journey and find true, lasting healing. We dare not try to hide our real selves because, well, in the long run it’s not possible anyway. Eventually you realize that something may be personal, but never private.