This is taken straight from our college care package devotions--but it is applicable at any stage of life.
One word that I hear over and over from the college students I talk with--aside from “epic” and “totes”-- is “authentic.” “Authentic” has come to be the definition of the type of life experience we would like to have--particularly with faith.
I recently read a piece from Douglas Wilson that really made me think about this word and our world experience. His book, Wordsmithy: Hot Tips for the Writing Life, was written to writers about writing, but I think we can extract more. He speaks about what authenticity was meant to mean, and what is has culturally come to mean.
So, to begin our discussion, my questions to you are this:
What does authenticity mean?
How do you use that word in your daily life?
Have you ever used it to describe faith, church, a small group Bible study, or a person?
Why did you use that word for those things or people?
Have you ever used the word “authentic” to describe yourself?
You see, when someone tells me they want an authentic faith, what they’re really desiring is a life that is consistent not merely with the ethos of Christianity, but with the logos of it (if you don’t know what that means, go look it up. It’s good for you). One student at Georgianna put it this way: “We should be living Scripture. When someone knows us, they should be able to know the Word because of our lives.”
Sometimes I wonder--do you know that your real life has already started? Do you know the credibility and dependability of the love of God for you? Do you know that Jesus is authentically (truly undeniably) praying for you, is with you, and loves you enough to sacrifice everything to make relationship with you possible?
As you round the turn to the finish line of this year at school, let me remind you: you have a unique opportunity every day to both experience and demonstrate the love of God. Finals are not the most important thing in your life. This is not a multi-act play where you’re playing the college student now, and then here comes act three (“The Adult Years”) when you start getting serious about faith. You’re a part of a one-shot, action-packed life that has already started, and demands that you live it to the fullest if you say you really know Christ. Don’t just act the part; really be a Christian--all day, every day.
“Quit acting real. Get real.”--Douglas Wilson
