On Transparency With Others
Lately, I’ve been convicted about the need to be honest with each other. Let me throw a few questions out there for us to think about.
Do we put on our happy Christian mask when we go to church or gather with other people, regardless of how we really feel? Do we give the same knee-jerk answer when someone asks us how we’re doing (“Fine.” “Great.” “Never better.” You get the point)? Do we feel like by being honest about how we’re really doing we’ll let someone down or burden them with our troubles?
Tough questions, I know. I hate to answer them myself. Now, here’s some other ones.
Why are we hesitant to share our struggles with others? Is it because we don’t want to appear weak or whiny or something less than “the perfect Christian”? How are we, as Christians, supposed to care for one another, support one another, encourage one another, and pray for one another if we don’t even know what each other is going through?
Let’s face it, everyone struggles with something. There are no perfect Christians out there. We need to be more honest with each other, sharing our weaknesses, our struggles, our fears. It’s not easy, believe me I know it isn’t, and it is quite humbling. Exposing our self, our true self, to someone else seems abnormal and maybe even counterproductive, but it’s anything but. Honesty draws us closer together, bonds us, and gives us a common ground from which to fight this battle that is life.
