Key: Be humble and model gospel-centered character.
“The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” Proverbs 11:3
Authenticity is humility, integrity, sincerity/genuineness, radical openness/truth-telling, vulnerability, accountability, and resilience.
Humility is the tree that bears the fruit of authenticity.
Our inner humility produces outer authenticity; our invisible humility produces visible authenticity.
True humility produces authenticity; Humility is the root of authenticity, and authenticity is a fruit of humility; in fact, humility is authenticity
“Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less” C.S. Lewis
“Clothe yourselves with humility toward one another” 1 Peter 5:5
“To be authentic, we must cultivate the courage to be imperfect — and vulnerable. We have to believe that we are fundamentally worthy of love and acceptance, just as we are. I’ve learned that there is no better way to invite more grace, gratitude, and joy into our lives than by mindfully practicing authenticity.”— Brené Brown
Humility is the tree that bears the fruit of authenticity
The Biblical word term for authenticity is humility. Biblical humility is always associated with honesty and truth. Such humility is held to be the foundation of all other virtues because without it all other virtues are at best pretenses. Biblical humility requires self-awareness, knowledge of God’s greatness, and seeing yourself as God sees you. After seeing ourselves as God sees us, we then live as such without making ourselves lower or higher than God sees us; We live in a way that is truthful to self and others.
Humility is the tree that bears the fruit of authenticity. Humility is the root of authenticity as we know it today. True humility always produces authenticity. You cannot have authenticity apart from humility. In fact, humility is authenticity. Another way to see it is that authenticity is humility in full-flower. Psychologists today often use the term “authenticity more than they do “humility”. Authenticity is new and chic, but at the core, authenticity is simply the result of humility. If a person lives in Biblical humility, they will always produce authenticity. However, one must be cautious because there are those who fake humility.
Authenticity means living the truth about yourself, being honest with yourself, and being honest with others about who you are. Authentic people are people who are truly themselves, hiding nothing, and not deceiving anyone about themselves; they don’t wear any masks. In humility, they let themselves be seen as they truly are. One cannot have true authenticity without humility. Humility and the authenticity it produces are signs of spiritual and psychological maturity as well as inner freedom (the kind we get from knowing Christ). Humility is also a sign of maturity in social relationships. While some people mistake humility for something we do (behaviors), true humility is a way of seeing ourselves, a way of being ourselves, and a way of relating to others in light of who God is and who we are in relation to Him. Humble people don’t discount or degrade themselves but accept themselves for who they are. In the words of Christ, they are “poor in spirit.” As C.S. Lewis said, “Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.”
Authenticity is all about character. Character involves the total human being including the spirit (heart/will), mind (thoughts and emotions), body, and social connections.
Authenticity is not simply about being yourself but being your best self. It involves self-awareness, honest self-assessments, continuous growth and improvement, all done with an air of transparency. It’s being honest with who you are today while firmly working to transform yourself into the best you can possibly be. Such transformation always involves the help of others.
We believe that our authentic self is what God created us to be. We are who God says we are. God defines us. We are open with our faults and imperfections but don’t see that as our destination. Instead, we press on daily into Christ who works in us to create our true authentic selves which is made in his perfect image. As a result, we never use authenticity as a reason to remain mediocre and not pursue a positive life change.
We are broken people on a journey with a God who heals all of us. Even though authenticity may be messy, it helps us heal.
Someone whose humility is producing fruits of authenticity:
- Is humble, through and through.
- Has and pursues the attributes of authentic character.
- Builds vulnerability-based trust (not just reliability-based trust) by fully embracing vulnerability.
- Reveals her true self; Lets herself be seen. She is sincere and real. We invite every member of our team to be the same person at work as they at home. We want to know the authentic version of each team member and celebrate the idiosyncrasies that make each of us special and unique.
- Is open/ transparent, genuine, and honest.
- Understands and embraces the gap between his/her present self and the person God has created him/her to be.
- Lives with full integrity. Thoughts, words, and actions are in full alignment. A person with integrity matches behavior with values and demonstrates her positive personal values in everything she says and does. When we live in integrity, our words and actions always reflect our core values, values that are important to us.
- Is reliable
- Always tells the truth; Yes is yes, and no is no.
- Obeys God by doing what is right and leaves the consequences to God.
- Will never compromise the values for short-term results
- Keeps all promises and fulfill expectations.
- Is accountable* and holds team members accountable.
- Is vulnerable. They are open about our weaknesses, skill deficiencies, interpersonal shortcomings, and we ask for help.
- Does the right thing even when no one is watching; Is not an eye-servant or people-pleaser.
- always aligns with the commandment that says, “thou shall not bear false Testimony” or “thou shall not lie” by presenting a truthful and unembellished view of themselves to people.
- Speaks with good intentions to build people up. They speak the truth in love. They speak honestly and kindly. They use only words that build others up and give them grace. Our words are powerful. They have the power to build people up or to tear them down. Words have the power to uplift and encourage people or put down and depress them. Authentic souls make the choice to always use words that build people up.
Authenticity is both fidelity and goodness.
We say we are authentic character/soul because character is the aggregate of the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social aspects of our being. It has been said that integrity is the alignment of our thoughts, words, and actions to sound principles and values. In that sense, being authentic means knowing ourselves and aligning the physical, psychological, spiritual, and social dimensions of our being with the truth.
“Character is the ability to meet the demands of reality.” Dr. Henry Cloud, Clinical Psychologist, and leadership expert.
*”Accountability is one of the pillars of authenticity…there is no authenticity without accountability”
Authenticity requires vulnerability and true connections are built on vulnerability. Vulnerability is at the heart of authenticity.
Q: How am I growing in humility and producing visible fruits an authentic character that is genuine, open, and resilient?
Verses
- “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith” 1 Timothy 1:5 NASB).
- “At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:1-4 NIV
- “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Mat. 5:3 NIV
- What does it mean to be poor in spirit?
- “In the same way, you who are younger, submit yourselves to your elders. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” 1 Peter 5:5 NIV
Caution: Watch out for fake humility that degrades the self or that is merely low self-esteem masquerading as humility.
Resources
Integrity
The Power of Vulnerability, Brene Brown.