Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Danielle Kingstrom

Home
Progressive Christian
Let’s Stop Attacking Authenticity

Let’s Stop Attacking Authenticity

Last updated on: June 23, 2020 at 10:28 am by Danielle Kingstrom

Let’s Stop Attacking Authenticity 2020-06-23T10:28:29-06:00 Danielle Kingstrom

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Photo by Brian Patrick Tagalog on Unsplash

I have an affinity for those who take a huge leap of faith and reveal themselves so transparently that initially, it seems like over-exposure. We all know people that we call “over-sharers.” They are the people who tell you their whole life story in the first 5 minutes you meet them and leave you feeling honored by the authenticity and awkwardly responding with sound effects instead of audible words. I particularly enjoy watching them overshare with others. I like to see how the recipient receives the massive collision of connective information. Most people don’t know how to respond.

The people who are willing to show you their scars before things get too concrete are the people we should rejoice to know. They know they have led lives of imperfection (who hasn’t?). They let you know how many times they have screwed up to get where they are now. They want you to know there is a story with chapters upon chapters of background that shaped and influenced their values in the now. These are the people who tell you in their own language, by their own invitation, that they will let you know them. And they present an offering to demonstrate this intention of intimacy: they reveal parts of their past, so you know they won’t judge you if you reveal parts of your past.

This level of transparency is the anti-status quo. That’s why so many people find it odd or awkward or even taboo. In a world where we put on false appearances and fake advocacy for activism, where we present only the most filtered sense of who we are accompanied by bible verses or Marxist quotes; in a world that demands superficiality and civilized decorum, this level of a vulnerability is a refreshing breath of cool, purified air. We should welcome it, instead, we shun it, shame it, and repeat the juicy gossip of a personal and divine revelation. Authenticity is a Kingdom practice.

Authenticity is a natural disposition of humans. Children are blatant and blunt. They say everything they think and ask all the questions without concern to whether it’s an appropriate question to ask. We teach our children to silence the impulse to speak bluntly and ask fearlessly. As we mature, we learn more and more about the importance of reservation of opinion. We are influenced by societal guidelines for how to interact with one another and slowly we erode that natural impulse to want to blurt out what we feel or think or say what’s on our mind or ask the questions that others dare not ask.

We are then thrust into relationships with meager communication skills as it is and have to learn how to peel back layers to reveal the depths of our souls to one another. We must dance around the conformist decorum of proper, inclusive, politically correct communicative methods and, as a result, we fail profoundly at an intimate connection. If we are too fearful of how offensive our words can be, we opt to say as little as possible.

So, when a person does have the gumption to reveal the naked truth of themselves, we gasp and drop our jaws. We ask, “Why would anyone tell a stranger that?” We assume they must just want attention or pity. Perhaps it’s just that some people are more willing to take a chance and share truth because the same will be reciprocated. And then, if only for a moment, we can see each other as God sees us.

I can’t help but see the practices of Jesus at work in people like this. It reminds me of Jesus revealing his scars to Thomas. Even though Jesus was resurrected, he still had the scars. It tells me that even when we experience transformation, we keep the wounds of our past with us— not to cling to the pain or suffering that those wounds caused. More so because those wounds make us who we are. Our wounds become whole internally, the markings don’t need to heal as proof that we have been fully restored.

Becoming whole isn’t about removing the marks of our past, it is about living into those experiences and growing out of them, transforming a seed into a sprout. I believe the people who are most revealing of their wounds and skeletons in their closets are the ones who have found a path to growing and healing. They are simply inviting us to see the journey as a healing process instead of comparative narratives of superficiality and surface-level irrelevance.

It doesn’t have to be town gossip or headline news if someone reveals too much or makes a mistake or says something without thinking. Are we not called to love others as we love ourselves? Are we not called to love our neighbor and our enemy as we love ourselves? We love one another by showing each other who we are underneath all the skin and labels. When we are willing to share our wounds with one another without judgment and without comparison, when we can take the competition out of the connection process, that is when we will truly bring the Kingdom to earth.

About Danielle Kingstrom

Danielle is a writer, podcaster, and home-school teacher. She lives in rural Minnesota on a farm with her husband and five children. Together, they maintain a fourth generation legacy farm and raise chickens and cattle. When she is not reading, writing, or self-educating; she can be found outdoors in nature’s naked elements. Danielle is an avid gardener, a lover of art, knowledge, and always a student. She is active in revitalization projects within her community, partnering with committees to bridge the Rural Divide. Unafraid of sparking controversy, Danielle is a frequently published author, appearing regularly in her community’s local newspaper; writing about provocative issues and asking challenging questions that raise a few eyebrows. She is currently working on two books. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

June 22, 2020

Conversation Can End Condemnation

Next Post

June 23, 2020 Eclipse Energy: The Great Revealing

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Authentic Connection Ego Love Self Suffering Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 September 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which Christian festival celebrates the coming of the Holy Spirit?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Pentecost Trinity Sunday Advent Lent