Expose Yourself.  But not like this.  That might get you a few months in county jail and who has time for that?

When I say to expose yourself, I’m not talking about indecent exposure but relational exposure, revealing your authentic self to God and others.  It’s something we don’t often do because its dangerous out there.  People judge you, reject you, pity you or try to fix you.  Ugh!  Authentic living is hard so why risk it? Because…

Your Exposure Will Determine Your Experience.

The degree to which we come out of hiding and expose our true selves will determine our level of intimacy with God and others.  If we want a deeply authentic life with God and deep authentic relationships with people (to hear more on this download the MP3 of Real Grace for Real Friends at http://daleskram.com/product/real-grace-real-friends/), we will need to deepen our level of exposure.  Scary, I know, but it’s the only way.  In another blog, I will discuss more about authenticity before others, but for today, lets focus on authenticity before God and this truth:

The depth of our relationship with God is only limited by the extent of our transparency with Him.

If you want a richer, deeper, more fulfilling relationship with God, start sharing your authentic thoughts, emotions, desires and actions with Jesus in prayer.  Talk to Him like you would to the safest person on the planet.  He won’t reject you, judge you or pity you.  Instead He will love you, hear you, accept you, and change you.  Your exposure before Him will determine your experience with Him.  Do not miss out on the blessings that come with that exposure:

It is only when we expose our loneliness, we can experience God’s presence

It is only when we expose our unworthiness, we can experience God’s acceptance

It is only when we expose our weakness, we can experience God’s strength and power

It is only when we expose our brokenness, we can experience God’s healing

It is only when we expose our poverty, we can experience God’s riches

It is only when we expose our confinement, we can experience God’s freedom

It is only when we expose our blind spots, we can experience God’s view of us

It is only when we expose our limitations, we can experience God’s possibilities

It is only when we expose our sin, we can experience God’s forgiveness and mercy

It is only when we expose our exhaustion, we can experience God’s rest

It is only when we expose our vulnerabilities, we can experience God’s protection

It is only when we expose our need, we can experience God’s provision

It is only when we expose our invisibility, we can experience God’s loving eyes upon us

It is only when we expose our pain, we can experience God’s comfort

Expose yourself to God and experience the blessings of an authentic life.

Taken from the Come As You Are retreat.