Mom Unplugged

Why Must You Be So Transparent?

May 24, 2008 Unplugged Authentcity

I get asked that question a lot. My answer is always the same, “Because God chose me to be.”

I don’t believe that anything I go through is just for me. First off my life is not about me anyway but rather it is all about God. Sure I get in the way at times because, well I am me; but I try to live everyday looking for the opportunity to share.

My life is my testimony as to how God can take you from the darkest places into a light brighter than even the sun. If I hide who I am from those who need to hear am I truly living in the light or trying to push the skeletons into the deepest darkest part of the closet.

Now while I don’t go around telling all of my business to everyone, I try to watch for God’s leading where I do need to share a story.

Christ was transparent in all He did. Never hid himself from the world nor tried to be anything other than the Son He was called to be. Now you may say that His example is too big to use to get my point across but I beg to differ with you. For it His life that we are to imitate if we truly say we love and follow Him. It is a part of the call to obedience that God give each of His children. Does that mean we are to be as a mini-Jesus?

By no means would I ever suggest that.

However, I do think that it is important that we share our story with the uniqueness we each have. For me my uniqueness is to dare to be different and real (WYSIWYG) in a rather raw yet tactful way. Ok, so God is still working with my on the tactful part but I am getting there..

Can I give you an example of what it means in my life to share my experiences?

Last summer I was invited to speak to a group of young people about knowing and understanding what a Spiritual Gift is and how God may use it in their lives as they go into whatever vocation they may choose. As I was sharing on the different gifts I was led to expound upon the gift of Encouragement which I have and seems to never lay dormant in my life.

In my explanation I began to share about my molestation as a child by, not one, but 5 different individuals. I made a statement that I did not get until sometime later. That statement was ” I have no idea why I am sharing this but somebody here needs to here my story.”

About a week later I received an email from the coordinator’s mother. She told me that there was a young lady there who was encouraged to attend the event. That was not her plan. Her plan was to go home and commit suicide. You see she said that her best friend was being raped daily by her own brother and his friend. She said that she could not take the pain of knowing what her friend was going through. Now being a survivor of such an atrocity, I understood that the young lady who wanted to kill herself was the actual victim and had I not been transparent that night then I would have been the cause of a life taken too young. But because of what I shared, she shared an in doing so received the help she needed.

That is why I am so transparent and share who I am as God leads and I won’t change it.