2022 : AUTHENTICITY
Hey y’all!
Can you believe that we’re completing the first quarter of this New Year?! I hope your 2022 has been going (really) well, and that you’ve been able to work on any goals or projects you’ve set for this year, or that you’ve been able to take time to rest and recharge for the year ahead. Amidst the turmoil in our current times, especially with what is going on with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, my prayer is that we remain rooted in the One who gives us the peace that guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7).
As I was reflecting on 2021, and praying about 2022, one word that really stuck out to me in December and at the start of this New Year was the word, “Authenticity”.
Around that time, I was starting to feel like “authenticity” was becoming a buzz word hyped by marketers and social media as the way to connect with a target market or gain more followers. For me, the effect of the word was really starting to lose it’s value, so it was interesting when I just felt drawn to reflect on “authenticity” and what it meant, not based on the trending talk about it, but what God and the Bible had to say about it. So, that all said, let me share what’s been on my heart regarding “authenticity”.
But first, let’s ground ourselves in scripture:
For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed…that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. - Romans 8:19; 21
This passage is one of my faves. It talks about how creation- the world we’re in- is desiring for the children of God to be revealed. The word “revealed”, speaks to a lifting off of what was blocking the true form. To me, the picture of a veil being lifted off to reveal a piece of art comes to mind. Or, the process of a flower blossoming from its bud to reveal its hidden beauty. Likewise, who we really are- the beauty of who God created us to be, can be veiled. We can come to believe that we aren’t accepted as we are; that our personalities are “too much” or “boring”, or that our thoughts and ideas are insignificant. Disappointment can veil the hopefulness we once approached life with; life experiences can cause us to shrink back under a veil of fear, shame, or rejection. We can become veiled and obstructed from fulfilling the purpose of bringing God’s glory into the world through our lives and showing up as who we were made to be.
The lifting off of the veil is the revelation of who we were created to be.
From the passage in Romans, the apostle Paul shares with us that the world is in need for the sons and daughters of God, in particular, to allow ourselves to be revealed. We who are born-again in Christ Jesus and are part of God’s family are the ones the world is crying out for. That which is covering who were created to be and do in the world- needs to be removed and we need to emerge in the world as the ambassadors of the Kingdom of God. We see that in the verse above, that it’s when the sons and daughters of God are revealed that the creation (the world) will be liberated and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We, as children of God, carry the freedom and liberty that the world is yearning for.
As children of God, we have peace the surpasses the limits of human understanding; we can rejoice in all circumstances; we can be bold as lions; we can enjoy the freedom of a sound mind; we can be satisfied with a pure love that no human can ever provide, and access so much more as God’s children. When we, the children of God, choose freedom and show up authentically in the world, we release freedom and glory. How? When we show up authentically, we give permission for others to do the same and we point to Jesus as the one who can provide true freedom- no strings attached. Us showing up points back to God, and points to Him as the source of the glory.
So friends, let 2022 be the year that you and I choose to show up in life as our true selves; as the the people we were created to be by God the Father. Let’s do what the Apostle Paul encourages us to do:
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. - Hebrews 1:2
Let you and I throw off the bondage and hindrances that would try to keep us hidden and cause us to shrink back. Let’s allow ourselves to emerge from behind the veils and throw off that which is false and shine the glory of God in the world.
My prayer is that by the end of this year, you and I will look back and see that we walked in freedom and brought the Kingdom of God into the spheres of influence that have been entrusted to us.
Peace and blessings,