This is an article that captures a piece of something I've been thinking and talking about, living authentically. In our culture, I think being geniune and being recognized as genuine is an essential trait. I encourage you to read the whole article. Below are some clips and my thoughts.
Authentic Phonyby Gregory SpencerAuthenticity requires an inside-out consistency. The most straightforward reading is: "Be who we say we are." ... not only should we "be who we say we are" but... we should use words that are consistent with our other actions.
Being genuine is a two-way thing. We must act consistently with our words and speak consistently with our actions. More importantly we must have the right inner motivation, we must be motivated by the twin loves (of God and neighbor). Everything must be in line with this single truth; saying or doing unloving things is readily apparent and easily justifies accusations of 'hypocrite' or worse. This should cause things like our views of "church discipline" to be more about restoring loving relationships and less about maintaining rightness.
Authenticity requires a rigorous commitment. The word "rigorous" adds to the definition because... it tells us that authenticity is hard work. For one thing, we must be tough-minded as we compare our attempts at authenticity with the realities of the situation. We are not being authentic when we act out insecurities based on inaccurate conclusions of what others think of us...
This challenges me. Too often my motivation is to make everyone like me. This results in me acting differently with different people. That's not necessarily bad, but the use of "rigorous" here tells me I need to be constantly checking my motives. Living authentically means that this motive-checking shouldn't paralyze my life with constant self-consideration, but rather seeking to actually live in real situations as I ought.
Authenticity requires courageous love. Courage could be called the "parent" virtue of authenticity. It takes courage to tell the truth, to be genuine, to resist the falsifications that our culture encourages. To be sincere when others are being wickedly sarcastic takes bravery. And love must inform our actions...
This contrast of sincerity with sarcasm cuts across a lot of what I say. Of course it doesn't mean that I can't be humorous, and being courageous doesn't mean being mean. I think it means that real love ought to motivate everything I say. Love qualifies our courageous truth telling. A confrontation motivated by love looks different than a confrontation motivated by being right. Living an authentic Christian life is a bold, work-in-progress synthesis.
Defining courage in speech (especially) is difficult, prone to over-statements. The author adds these caveats:
First, authenticity is not "cruel honesty," as if we are justified saying whatever is on our minds. Authenticity practices a gracious honesty... Second, authenticity is not "indulgent transparency," as if we are noble for divulging our darkest secrets... Third, authenticity doesn't mean we never act insincerely...
Living authentically is a hard thing to define. I guess I know it when I see it. I recognize a lack of it in myself easily. But its a challenge worth embracing.
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