January 2018 has started like no New Year before it. I’m coming into it with a renewed sense of energy, a boatload of optimism about what’s to come for me, for my family and for those connected to us (that includes YOU), and I’m ready to slay my goals like a boss!
But there’s something else. This year, everything in me wants to bring the noise, and by that I mean just put what God has given me to share all out there without second guessing it; without being overly concerned with who might become offended; without questioning the power of fifteen thirty-one’s content to transform lives simply based on the number of Facebook and Instagram likes it gets.
Maybe this being my last year in my 30s has something to do with me feeling like this. Older and bolder, right? Maybe. I don’t know. What I do know is that I have a job to do, and the only way for me to do it effectively, is to give it to you like I get it, and to be authentic across the board.
If you read my last post, you’ll remember that I talked about authenticity, and how being committed to it would transform your year, your life really. Authenticity is SO powerful, and for that reason, I feel inclined to stay in that vein for the next few posts. Starting today, I’ll share with you via several “mini posts” the importance of embracing authenticity in various areas of our lives: in our faith, in dating/marriage, in our character, and in our identity.
I hope that as you read these posts, that you’ll find yourself in them; that you’ll examine your life and identify opportunities for growth. I also hope that you will share what you read with others. Let’s take this journey together and come out on top together.
Authenticity in our Faith
Why start with faith? Because as Christian women, the word of God should be our foundation, and if we’re living by its principles, then those principles should be reflected in our dating/marriage relationships, our character and our identity.
But if our faith is faulty, if it’s not founded on sound doctrine, if we are simply religious, displaying a form of godliness, but rejecting God’s power to truly influence and change our heart and life (2 Timothy 3:5), then everything else about us is faulty.
How can we be authentic in our faith? It starts with relationship. God has given us an open invitation to have a relationship with Him. (Matthew 11:28).
It’s a genuine relationship not predicated on our successes or our failures, but a relationship built on unconditional love. The relationship does require some effort on our part, but even in that, we are not alone. The Lord gives us the Holy Spirit to help ensure that we stay on the right path. We just have to be committed enough to stay true to the relationship.
Maintaining authenticity in our relationship with Christ is not just limited to saying, “Lord, I’ll serve you.” It means holding true to what we believe in the presence of those who oppose Christ. (Because you do realize that people are really offended by Him, not us, right?)
For my sisters of color, you know what code-switching is in the context of race. If not, then by all means, check out the video below.
Along those same lines, we cannot code-switch when it comes to our faith – turning it on and off based on our audience at the present moment. No. It’s time out for that. Keep it one hundred at all times. We shouldn’t be timid in the face of everyone and everything that is contrary to the Godly values that we strive to uphold.
I ran across a Twitter profile earlier this week in which the user said that he “exists to make Heaven more crowded.” I absolutely LOVE that. THAT is why we’re here. If we don’t practice authenticity in our faith, we will fail at this mission. We’ll fail at discovering who we are in God. And we’ll fail at experiencing all that God has for us. Failure is NOT an option.
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