Authenticity is something we all crave.

We just want people to be honest and real with us. As a believer it’s important that my heart be real as possible just to keep an even keel with God. Allowing my real-ness to come through with God is vital to my relationship with Him. Some of my prayers and conversations with God are dark and depressing honestly. I’m in good company though.

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, Lord my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (‭Psalm‬ ‭13‬:‭1-5‬ NIV)

David had some of the darkest psalms in the bible but nevertheless he hoped in God. Having a real conversation with God equals real relationship with Him.

Now being real with people… That’s a whole nuther animal. I’m naive in some respects because I used to operate thinking that people are as graceful with others as I am. Yeah, not so much. A mentor once told me that I need to keep my counsel to myself. He meant that I don’t need to share with everyone everything going on in my life. More recently I’ve found this to be true as a great friend told me I shouldn’t feel the need to be accountable to everyone. She gave me some of the best and most freeing advice I’ve ever heard.

We should have one close friend that we can be real with, one that we can share everything with and they respond with nothing but love-covering grace. From there the layers of authenticity should be a little less transparent because most people aren’t mature enough to handle the full opacity of our lives. They just won’t respond correctly.

It’s important to be real but it’s more important to be in safe relationships. Make sure you use wisdom in who you share the intimate details of your life.