One of the things I love about my husband is that he is not afraid to be himself, and he does not try to hide his true beliefs.  I love his transparency.

Lukewarm or Transparent?

God makes it clear in Revelation 3:15-16 that He likes transparency too.  He wants people to be clear about their beliefs, and He detests it when they are lukewarm – pretending to love Him part of the time yet compromising what they claim by the way they live the rest of the time.  God basically says, “Get in or get out, but make up your mind one way or the other.  Don’t serve me half-heartedly” (my paraphrase).

Transparent people are the ones who are either hot or cold.  They are not afraid to let the people around them know who they really are or what they really think.  Neither are they afraid to admit to themselves who they really are.

Why be transparent?

Honesty.  God likes honesty, and so do most of us.  Which of the following would you respect more?  (A) Someone who states that they are your friend but sometimes ignores you at social events or (B) Someone who states flatly that they are not your friend.

I would rather someone be honest and cold than to pretend falsely or be wishy-washy about how they feel.  There just isn’t any loyalty in wishy-washy.  At least I can respect an honest opinion – even if I wish the person’s opinion was a different one.  Being transparent means being truthful about who you are.

Transparent Christians

Living a transparent Christian life is another “challenge” of the Christian life that is not always easy.  God wants us to be red-hot-on-fire-for-Him Christians, and He wants us to be transparent Christians who are not afraid to speak the truth about what we believe.

Although God always wants us to use common sense and speak in a loving and respectful manner to people, He never wants us to become lukewarm, “go with the flow,” or hide what we really believe in order to avoid offending people.

Like the dandelion in the picture, we need to be transparent Christians who are willing to let the world see who we really are.  May they see Jesus -on every layer and every level, all the way through the core of our souls, and into the depths of our hearts.