Article #18 FatherSpiritSon.com
Keys to Success Part I: Transparency
In today's day and age we are more connected with one another than ever before. Take a look at site's like Face book, My space, and Twitter and one can easily see there is a growing trend of connectivity among us. I think being transparent when it comes to a great variety of aspects of our lives is greatly beneficial to those of us looking to line ourselves up with God's will.
First I would like to examine what I mean by transparency exactly. Let's take a look at what www.dictionary.com has to say about it's definition: (1) Transparence – the quality or state of being transparent. (2) something transparent, esp. a picture, design, or the like on glass or some translucent substance, made visible by light shining through from behind. If you scroll down a bit further, you'll see the financial definition elaborates further as to where I am getting at, it states: The full, accurate, and timely disclosure of information.
Transparency to me incorporates a variety of attributes. Chief among them are perhaps these three: honesty/integrity, a desire to be legitimate, and sincerity. (See V*1). I believe God calls us to be legitimate, no matter how difficult it may seem. If you start taking shortcuts in every aspect of your life, I do not believe you are living to your fullest potential and maintaining a praiseworthy life. Being legit will give you a practically unparalleled peace of mind that you are not breaking or even bending the rules too frequently. It will ensure that you have nothing major to hide, and that you are attempting to obey the law (divine law, natural law, and secular law.) You are obeying God's commands primarily, but furthermore you are also obeying the law's of the land, which often times go hand in hand and rarely contradict one another. Even though you may not realize it while you're doing this, you are also setting an example for others who can learn from you as a role model or even a mentor. Additionally, you are also acting in a manner that maintains your conscience and mindset clear and in line with the purpose of God for your life. (See V*2). I would like to think that even though I am far from perfect, and I have my own sinful habits and struggles that I need to constantly battle with, I try to live transparently and legitimately according to God's call.
I am not at all saying we need to be perfectly transparent, that is practically impossible for us. I would only think of Jesus Christ Himself as being the only one who was able to pull off such a difficult task. Despite this fact, we should not be discouraged from reaching out to this ultimate goal. Transparency doesn't mean you need to disclose what you aren't comfortable with or what may not be beneficial for you to share, it just means that what you do say/share with others should be accurate according to your best knowledge. In cases where you have nothing good to say about someone or do not have anything particularly helpful to add to a certain topic of discussion, it is generally best to keep quiet. The Bible makes it apparent to me that it is much better to listen thoroughly before we respond, than to quickly react with an answer before processing a piece of information. (See V*3).
It is generally best for us to act in an honest fashion with our integrity in mind. Think of it in this way: your words are a powerful tool, particularly when spoken out loud, and should properly reflect the soundness of your arguments and intentions. When we are true to our word, we attain a valuable reputation for doing what is right and people come to expect a certain standard from us. I also think that we may even gain God's favor and support as a result of the truthfulness in our words. This is quite a different story when we consider the opposite effect that takes place when we do not follow through with our own word and lose credibility. Imagine the negative repercussions that we will see in the long-term if in order to gain a temporary advantage or edge we lie or deceive someone. This is why the Bible is clear that it is better to be a poor man that walks with integrity rather than someone who is deceitful and foolish. (See V*4).
To be transparent in today's day an age is not only a service to God, which should be our main motivation anyways, but it is also a benefit to your own well-being. People are constantly gossiping and slandering other individuals, sometimes even unintentionally, without considering the repercussions of their words on the lives of those people. In the end however the truth will always set you free. We need to be blameless in our ways, and be sincere in our actions. (See V*5 & V*6). Always trying our best not to judge one another harshly, but rather comport ourselves towards one another with the up-most of intentions and respectfulness.
The temptation to take the easier road is sometimes seemingly overwhelming. We are constantly facing situations that may result in compromising our words, trustworthiness, or even our character. The sad part is that we are rarely reminded me of the importance of our character and, yes, especially our words! (See V*7). We have the power to build up or tear down things with our tongues, and many of us underestimate the power of a well-placed or unfortunately misplaced word. We need to be as careful as possible with them, especially when we are in the heat of an emotional moment, and capable of lashing out in anger at someone we really do not want to harm.
In the end I think it is quite helpful for us to be transparent in our ways, that way we protect ourselves, build up rather than tear down others, and most importantly of all reflect and honor God in all our actions. Let us all attempt not only to read and understand God's word, but also act on it. (See V*8).
Final Words:
When we are transparent with our passions and ideas, we also connect better with our family, friends, and all our networks. What I mean by that exactly is, people tend to open up more when you are honest and forthcoming with them and they know you have good intentions. Confidence in this regard goes a long way and if you tactfully and freely share your beliefs, opinions, and personal life with someone you will position yourself to give and derive more from your friendships than ever before. That is why transparency is such a powerful attribute and should be keenly considered a potential addition to your repertoire of attributes, among other resources, that encompass you as the unique individual God created you to be.
With that I would like to close Part I of this series of articles, which focused on transparency. Part II of the Keys to Success series will be coming in the near future, and will likely focus on Generosity. Thank you for reading as always, we appreciate any feedback you might have to be directed to [email protected] . We try to check this e-mail frequently and will respond in a timely manner if you decide to e-mail us.
--Victor Nunez
Biblical References:
V*1- “For we are not like the many who make a trade in God's message [for profit], but as those with sincerity, we speak in Christ, as from God and before God.” 2 Corinthians 2:17 (HCSB)
V*2- “For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly wisdom but by God's grace.” 2 Corinthians 1:12 (HCSB)
V*3- “The one who gives an answer before he listens- this is foolishness and disgrace for him.” Proverbs 18:13 (HCSB)
V*4- “Better a poor man who walks in integrity than someone who has deceitful lips and is a fool.” Proverbs 19:1 (HCSB)
V*5- “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them. 4 Wealth is not profitable on a day of wrath, but righteousness rescues from death. 5 The righteousness of the blameless clears his path, but the wicked person will fall because of his wickedness. 6 The righteousness of the upright rescues them, but the treacherous are trapped by their own desires.” Proverbs 11:3-6 (HCSB)
V*6- “As he was saying these things, many believed in Him 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, you really are My disciples. 32 You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”” John 8:30-32 (HCSB)
V*7- “Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who live it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 (HCSB)
V*8- “But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; 24 for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts- this person will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:22-25 (HCSB)
Link:
- (Great article that discusses the importance of integrity in our actions and also highlights on examples of some of the temptations that we may face in our walk to do what is right. I would suggest taking a look at it if you have a chance.)