The Heart Attitudes: Part 3Sample

Heart Attitude #2 – Live an honest, open life before others.

Ephesians 4:25

Since you put away lying, Speak the truth, each one to his neighbor, because we are members of one another.

1 John 1:7-8

But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 

Living an open life means we are willing to be known. Most of us live in the shadows, even as believers. We do not let others know who we really are because we are afraid of what they will think of us and our faults. However, Jesus calls us to walk in the light and to admit that we have sinned. We are not free from the presence of sin yet! So when we hide in the darkness, we really move farther away from the intimate fellowship possible with the Father.

To enjoy genuine fellowship with another, we must let them see the real us. It is a risky position. They may not like us or may not think as highly of us as if we had lied. However, the truth is, if they get to know a shadowy version of us, then they still don’t like or even know the real US!

To live an open life requires trust:  trust primarily in our relationship with God. To live an open life also requires trust in other people. Our past has taught us that not everyone can be trusted and that is true. 

We need to discern at what level to trust our new friends, while we also commit to being open to them.  Regardless of our preference as a private or public personality, we choose to be available to be known by others. Tomorrow we will look at discretion.

To be known as we really are: warts and all, both successes and failures. The real and authentic self is what we are trying to let others know. Because Jesus has saved us, we can live an open life before others.

Are you being open to others or are you hiding who you are in the shadows and hoping that others never find out about your flaws?