Authentic

Merriam-Webster definition: Not false or imitation: REAL, ACTUAL. True to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.

I’ve been struggling to put words on paper recently—my own words. With so many programs created to “assist” a person with their grammar, or AI available to write your thoughts, answer your questions, do your research for you, or create anything you ask it to create—you would think all of these “assists” would make a writer feel relieved. But instead, I feel grieved. And convicted to a deeper level of authenticity. I agree with myself that I should strive not for perfection but for authenticity. 

I believe that God has given each person gifts and talents. I believe this because it is written in His Word. How do I find it in His Word without using Google or asking AI? I open my Bible and go to the back where the Master Index or Concordance is located, and from there, go to a word that I may want to study in various scriptures—find the word in alphabetical order, and then study the scriptures associated with that specific word or thought. The process takes time, requires delving into the scriptures, and can often lead to rabbit trails when reading one scripture, which may cause you to want to understand another subject. 

However, it’s in the PROCESS of studying the Word of God that we not only learn God’s truths and character but also learn from Him the truth of our own existence and how to live lives that mirror the character qualities of Christ. He tells us how to live in an evil world (Romans 12:2, Col. 2:20-22), how we are new creations in Christ, Christ’s ambassadors (II Cor. 5:17 & 20), how we have been given the spirit of wisdom and revelation SO THAT WE MAY KNOW HIM BETTER, the incomparable great power he has given those who believe (Eph. 1:17-19), how to live a life worthy of the calling we have received (Eph 4:1), how to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves (Phil. 2:3), to preach the Word and be prepared in season and out of season; to correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction (II Tim. 4:2)….and dozens upon dozens of other Words from God pertaining to life, death and godliness.

I found all of the above scriptures by looking up a single word in the back of one of my Dad’s worn and tattered Bibles, which I found in the back of the closet in his office on my last visit home after his death. The back of the Bible contains so many other studies, including character studies, various Bible readings, illustrated studies such as “Journeys of Abraham” or “Life of David,” and so on. 

Every word and story in the Bible is authentic, not false or imitation: REAL, ACTUAL.

In a world that is no longer a “what you see is what you get” world—I crave authenticity, don’t you? I love the feel and the smell of a tattered Bible—the joy of “finding” each book of the Bible. I find my desire to become more authentic within the pages and stories of those who have gone before me. In the journeys, lives, prophecies, history of the Early Church, and last days of Jesus—I discover the true purpose of my own existence. While digging out the gold of the Word, I am learning the gifts I have been given and how to stay “true to my personality, spirit, and character”—living an authentic life of service to my Creator and the most faithful lover of my soul.

Stay the course…

Sheila