Transparency is the only way to come before God because He sees right though our fig leaf personas, our masquerades, and our silly attempts at keeping our true selves from him. Oh, we have the excuses all prepared but they ring hollow as we try to avoid the Almighty and the questions He asks us.
Transparency begins with the admission of our true nature – we are sinners in need of a Savior. It continues with an admission of where we are – lost in the garden. God knows who we are and where we are.
And yet, like the Great and Powerful Oz, we call out to our co-workers, “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” We want to believe that the voice behind the curtain is really ours. It sounds authoritative and it asserts confidence. It gives instruction and pronounces meaning.
We walk the corridors of work and our office mate calls out, “How you doing?” Safely hidden behind the wizard’s curtain we reply, “I’m good.” Our polite words help us avoid the potential of an uneasy silence. We can’t bear to reveal who we are. Nor do we want others to reveal themselves to us.
Read all past issues at http://www.patheos.com/blogs/davidrupert