We had an excellent conversation as a staff a short time ago that helped me put into words something I’ve believed for some time but struggled to express concerning authenticity. As I shared it, many struggled at first with the concept, because it’s so foreign to how our culture engages this word it loves to use so often
Authentic, by definition, means: of undisputed origin; genuine.
It is to be in a word, genuine.
Some would use the word “true”.
In our culture we use it often to communicate the idea of being, “true to who you really are”. Another common use is the idea of being, “true to your feelings”.
I’ve had people often tell me, “I don’t want to be fake. I want to be true to what I’m feeling and express that. I value being authentic.”
I understand the concept. I just think it’s the least valuable thing to be authentic to.
That’s where I received clarity.
There are a lot of things you can be authentic to. I guess if you believe your feelings are the most important thing in your life and define you then by all means you should value being authentic to them. The people around you may value that for a while, if you happen to be a well-adjusted, stable person. If you’re not, however, there won’t be people around you for long. You’ll be a roller-coaster. In scriptures Paul talks about someone like this as being “tossed to and fro” (Eph. 4:14).
There is another way.
The other way to engage authenticity is to choose what you will be authentic to. A great leader isn’t a great leader because they are naturally and authentically great at leadership. It’s because one day they decided to learn what a great leader is and held themselves to that. They chose to be authentic to great leadership. There’s not a great leader on the planet, by the way, who is authentic to their feelings. You don’t want to be led by someone like that. You want them to put their feelings aside and be true to what they know about leadership. This is just one of many things you can choose to be authentic to.
As a communicator if I were authentic to my feelings my communication would vary greatly from week to week. I work instead to communicate the “genuine” passion that the truth for that week deserves. I want everything I do to be true to what God wants to communicate and how we should receive and respond to it, not how I felt when I woke up that morning.
All of us get to choose what we will be authentic to. It’s how we shape who we will become, and beyond that, it’s something God calls us to choose on a daily basis.
This is where the conversation becomes even more significant. This isn’t simply something that we need to realize, this is key to how we will follow Jesus.
Scripture teaches us that there are two at war within us. The new creation (ruled by the Spirit), and the old creation (the flesh) are constantly battling for our attention. God not only informs us of this but calls us to actively engage the battle. He calls us to be “authentic” to who he has made us to be, the new creation. We can choose to be authentic to our feelings, the flesh, or we can put off the old, and put on the new.
We get to choose. What will you be authentic to? Will you be authentic to who you were or who you’ve been made to be? The real you is the new creation, but you still have to choose. Which will it be?
You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;to be made new in the attitude of your minds;and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Ephesians 4:22–24 NIV
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