Authentic

Authentic.  It cannot be fabricated or duplicated.  Duplicates’ appearance may seem genuine on the surface but upon further inspection, there is a tell and the true identity is revealed.

Authentic.  You may be able to fool so many others.  The smile looks legitimate.  The words you speak sound accurate.  You may dance the right way.  You may even convince the people closest to you.  However, you know the truth of it.  You can carry it off for quite some time but there are periods that you simply cannot manufacture this experience and the effects and benefits it brings.

Authentic.  The sheer delight of being in the presence of the Holy God we serve.  The awe and wonder of hearing Him speak to our spirits as we humbly go before His throne.  The peace that passes all understanding, as we fully trust Him, falling into His arms as we allow all else to melt into oblivion cannot be duplicated.  No.  You might be able to fool the people around you, but you know. 

 

Authentic.  The freedom of leaving the strife at your feet and dancing into the delight of the favor our Father has for us can’t be invented.  The love He showers over us can’t be constructed externally and you cannot forge the mark He leaves on your heart and life that says “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”

Authentic.  The fictitious life that has been woven to try to ease people into an inaccurate deduction of where you stand can only be sustained for so long as your fruit begins to grow a very different shape, hue, odor, and taste.  It’s an impersonation.  

That’s okay though because you are the only person you hurt with your substitute relationship.  You work so hard to get the benefits that you miss the relationship altogether.  The replica you have constructed even fools you at times but in the end, you know the hope you think you are holding is empty and as you fight so forcefully to make sure no one shatters it, you miss the true hope that is offered freely!

Authentic!  Looking into the heart of the one who loves you more than anything and seeing your name etched there!  He emphatically calls your name over and over just to reaffirm the love He has for you!  

Authentic!  Laying down all else… the worry, the requests, the yearnings and desires, the distractions, the strife, and anything else that is not important when faced with eternity.  Stepping into freedom that only He can give which allows us to walk on air, because we know He simply wants to hold us!

Authentic!  When we are in His arms, watching all the things we just laid at His feet dissipate as they are resolved through His provision and wisdom!  The joy that washes over us knowing that He did all of it because of His love for us!

Authentic!  The tears shed.  He hurts when we hurt.  He cries when we cry.  And as we ache He longs to heal. 

Authentic!  Knowing He never has and never will leave me or abandon me!

Authentic!  The words He whispers in my ear… Every promise, every encouragement, every romance, every wisdom, and every time He simply says my name… The intimacy we share is genuine!

I know I am not the only one who has experienced Authenticity but for those of you who, deep down, know that the relationship is either fake, assumed, or non-existent, you still have an opportunity to call out to Him for a genuine relationship.  The kind you can feel down deep and every part of your being comes alive in Him!

I challenge you this week to heed His call. 2 Chronicles 7:14,
“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

I pray that you find THE AUTHENTIC relationship with Jesus Christ, hearing His voice, and feeling Him in His presence!

God bless you as you continue to seek and serve Him.