generosity through transparency

'keep open house; be generous with your lives. by opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God, this generous Father in heaven." {matthew 5:16 msg}

some people call me transparent. i see transparency as what fosters authenticity. and Jesus was authentic. he was transparent. because i like to know someone deeply, i find it refreshing when others are transparent in return with me. transparency in my friendships is probably the key thing that has launched the immense growth i've had in my relationship with Jesus since i've been a part of Passion City Church. you can't have true community without true transparency. and Jesus designed us for community. 

'the man who isolates himself seeks his own pleasures and rages against wise judgement' {proverbs 18:1-2}

what is man's all? it is to reflect the image of its creator. that is where we find our truest meaning and greatest fulfillment. 

while some might prefer me to be less transparent- more translucent or opaque- in order to make them feel more comfortable, i want to follow the lead of my Father. and more importantly, i want them to find the freedom to open up with God.

transparent 

- allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen

- having thoughts, feelings or motives that are easily seen

- easy to perceive or detect

translucent

- allowing light, but not detailed images, to pass through

- semitransparent

opaque

- not able to be seen through; not transparent

- hard or impossible to understand

i think Peterson gets it right in his paraphrase of this verse- transparency is not about self-exaltation. it's about generosity. it's about allowing ourselves to let light pass through us- penetrating, life-giving, life-changing, loving light.