1 Thessalonians 2: 3-7
3 For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. 4 On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 5 You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed—God is our witness. 6 We were not looking for praise from people, not from you or anyone else, even though as apostles of Christ we could have asserted our authority. 7 Instead, we were like young children among you.
Children can be honest. I mean REALLY honest. If you ask a child a question, they will usually tell you the honest truth. They have not learned, as most adults have, how to “spin” the truth to avoid embarrassment, accountability, or transparency. The haven’t learned to look from praise from people.
As I write my Christmas letter this year, I am pondering the letters that I’ve written over the past decades. Each letter presents a perfect family and a perfect year. The letters are not transparent but are full of things that would be praised by our family members and friends. I’ve pondered writing a real Christmas card that honestly displays the year’s struggles, heart aches, and blessings.
What would your Christmas card say if it were perfectly honest? For 2012, I want to be real more with the people who care about me. After all, they didn’t have perfect years either. They made mistakes, their children made mistakes, and they experienced heartaches, disappointments mixed with celebrations and hope. I want to measure to God’s standard of being real with the ones that I live in 2012.
Dear God, Transparency is hard. It’s really hard. Help me to be real with God’s people and may they be “real” in return.
How do you measure up? Continue to grow along with me by reading the blogs (and providing comments) at howdoImeasureup.org.