Lost in the Authentic

I'm curious as to what most folks might define as 'authentic'. When it comes to living an authentic life, I hear lots of talk about it, but don't know if any of us talkers actually know what it means. I was talking with a friend this morning (thanks again John) about this whole topic. (John gets really nervous when I blog, being not quite sure what I might write). I found myself talking about Jesus as the best example of what it meant to live authentic. I thought about him not being swayed by others around him - the pharisees critiquing and the disciples favoring him. It seemed that he didn't really let himself get pulled by popularity or unpopularity. He was sorta unmanipulatable. When people wanted him to heal more, and he needed to be with his father, he vacated and left them hanging. When the religious people wanted to pin him down about what he meant in his teachings, he usually confounded them.

I guess when I look at Jesus, I see a guy who lived 100% himself all the time, whether it won him points or not. He just was himself, without deviation, every moment, in every situation, and with everybody. It's interesting to see that he treated people different, depending on who they were and their situation. The rich young ruler gets challenged to follow and walks away, where the Geresene demonic begged to go with him and was sent home. When the disciples argue about who was best, he challenged them to more. When a woman was caught sleeping with another man (not her husband) he simply tells her to sin no more. And then there is another woman at a well that has been in multiple relationships and who is shacking up with another, and he doesn't say 'boo' about it being wrong (Take that to the legalist bank and cash it!) He was different with every situation. Sometimes he healed with a word, sometimes with a touch, and sometimes from far off. Once it even took him two times to get the healing done.

All this to say that Jesus somehow had the ability to live authentically while always being different. He seemed to live true to his heart (His father's purpose for his life) while not getting bogged down in ritual or empty repetition. He wasn't always the same. Yet he was always the same (I didn't say I had this all figured out).

So what does it mean to live authentic? I have no clue. I guess it means something about living from what is true inside of you without giving a rip about what everybody else thinks. I think it also means something about being unique and creative in every situation.

I wonder how many of us live authentic? Do we stay true to our hearts, living honest all the time? Are we compromising? Do we spend our time on things that could really change lives, or are we a victim to the machinery that keeps our lives propped up?

It seems to me that being authentic must have something to do with living honest, living true, living from the heart, never letting falseness steal our commitment to being real. Or maybe living authentic is an act of the Spirit within us. Maybe it is much more about passionately pursuing Him than it is a choice to make.

Share your thoughts!