Perfect Unity

Authenticity. A not-so-small word for a not-so-simple concept. The word is comprised of many different meanings, all applicable to our lives in many different ways. I, as well as many close friends and peers, was challenged with the task to be authentic as leaders of our church. Much easier said than done. Authenticity, as it turns out, isn't a way to act. It isn't a lifestyle or a phase to catch on to and learn .
It's not about what you do, but who you truly are.
As we sat around a blazing fire in Ironwood Springs Christian Camp, we were asked to step forth and share a time in our lives where we were not authentic. Where we were not ourselves in a situation and missed out on an opportunity. I praise God for every young man and young woman sitting around the fire for their desire to use their past to perfect the future. I thank the Lord for their refreshing honesty in a world which sells lies and hides behind masks. While many shared and pondered over their past mistakes, a new life gave way in some. In removing the mask and revealing what they were once ashamed of, they took on the form of authenticity. They wore the garments as listed in Colossians 3:12: love, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Some offered support, love and kindness, others humbled themselves before one other. While we were humbled, while we wrestled with the past, we were renewed as pure and authentic human beings seeking Christ Jesus.
In a world where we are asked to give more than we have to offer, we put on masks. They help us alternate between tasks, to please others and protect ourselves from being hurt. We begin to forget what it looks like under the mask. We might not know who really are under the mask. Watching the masks come off was watching new life emerge from ashes. That new life isn't perfect. It'll take a little sun and rain before it is strong again. But it is a pure and honest life, one with no lies, no masks.
This life is what God wants for us. What Jesus' greatest followers commanded us to strive for in our lives. It is the face of Christ himself. It is the face of authenticity.