Call to Authenticity

We live in a day and age in which concealing things that are not visually appealing, and hiding what we truly believe are highly promoted. These days photoshop is used so frivolously just to make your smile brighter or skin lighter or maybe make you a size smaller. All that effort is done so that you can get more likes on your Facebook page or double tap on your Instagram.

The core reason is that we all want to be liked. No one likes to be a sore thumb, we all want to blend in. I think we all manage to do a good job with it as well. We do it so well and so often that it has become part of who we are, so much so that we’ve become oblivious to it.We have categorized our lives, we know how to dress, talk and present ourselves according to place and time. The real question is: is Christ present in all the aspects of our life?

"Christ is either Lord over all or he is not Lord at all" - Hudson Taylor

We often try so hard to fit in, so much so that we end up living our lives in neat little boxes and playing it safe.  We compare our lives to someone else who we think is worse than us and then compare our neat little box to theirs on our sin “scales”. Somehow it makes us feel better about ourselves.We think, I don't drink,smoke or whatever they do,at least I am not that bad.

But let me ask you,do your friends know that you are Christian because you go to church on Sunday or do they know you are Christians by your actions and speech? Will our friends or coworkers ever say that he/she is a true Christian. Have you ever stood up for your faith among your friends? Do they even know what you believe?

"Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. But the person who endures to the end will be saved"-Mark 13:13.

If our answers to all these questions is a big fat “NO”,  then we need to take a good look in the mirror and ask ourselves some tough questions. Who am I really? Am I truly representing Christ and what He stands for? Or am I being some sort of hybrid of both the world and Christianity?

Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me- Matt:16:24

The truth is, living an authentic Christian life is very hard. It calls for us to be dead to ourselves and the world.We will struggle, but God has given us divine grace that empowers us to live a holy life. Let's make every effort to represent Christ for who He is and what He represents. Be authentic!

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