Transparency

By definition – If “Someone is Transparent” it means that person cannot or does not hide or conceal anything. … A person who is “Transparent” has no secrets and tells no lies. True enough that’s what this word means but in today’s society is anyone really transparent? This world is filled with people running a race against each other, who is better, bigger, richer,and smarter. We hide everything from out outer self to our inner self. Social media has brain washed people to show off what they think others will approve. If one does not fit into the “norm” of society then rejection sets in. We are all trying to fit into a world or box that will not accept who we really are. My son once told me the only reason he has social media is for the comments because people are interesting. At first, I disregarded his logic of just for the comments but then I decided to pick a random picture and started reading the comments, what he said was really true people are indeed interesting. The comments of simple pictures were so far fetched I wondered are we that much in hiding that we cannot see other people except with a judgmental and negative lens?

I was reading my devotion a few days ago that I would like to share about what the bible and my devotion says about transparency.

Trust No One

The Apostle Paul set a challenge before us: “having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor” (Ephesians 4:25). No small thing, that one. We men have such a hard time with transparency, with vulnerability. “I don’t know you guys that well.” “I have a hard time trusting other people.” “I don’t know everyone here.” These and objections like them surface naturally in men facing the prospect of being transparent and vulnerable with brothers in community. We’ve all said them, in some version or another. But, this approach of hesitating and waiting to open up and waiting to tell our brothers what’s really going on, what we’re afraid of, what we’re struggling with until we have complete trust of the men we’re opening up to is foolish and based upon misplaced trust.

You see, we can trust no man completely. All “have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). So, waiting for complete trust means waiting for something that’ll never happen. We’re all broken, capable of wickedness even toward those we love most. God, however . . . God is not. So, in him and in him only, brother, should we put our trust (Psalm 118:8). He calls us to be transparent, vulnerable with others; so we must. Now, it might not always go well (at least from our perspectives). That’s okay. It’ll go well from God’s perspective—our obedience to him always does. And, he knows better than we do.

Okay, so what do we do?

Next time you meet with a brother or two or three, look around. Which of them do you trust more than God? In that moment, tell yourself: “I trust God. So, I know what I must do” No more lies. No more pretending. No more posturing.

I put my trust a long time ago in loving someone only to be disappointed over and over again, it was then I learned I can trust no one but God. I also learned about forgiveness, to be honest and transparent with you that was one of the hardest life lessons I had to learn. Forgiving someone and yourself, a burden that was to heavy and expensive for me to carry throughout my life. In order to forgive I had to go through Jesus Christ and ask for help because he was the only one who could have given me the help I needed. Not my friends or family but God.

My blog is me, my life, my thoughts, my feelings, my ideas, I will always be transparent and me. I am broken, I am healing, I make mistakes, I fall, But I will never pretend to be someone I am not.