While researching for our new book, Platinum Faith (co-authored with Bethany Jett), I discovered that platinum is very hard to counterfeit because it’s so much harder, heavier and shinier than all of the other white metals.
While you might be able to produce a pretty good “fake” piece of sterling silver or even white gold, it’s almost impossible to produce a good platinum imposter. Plus, authentic platinum will have “plat” or “pt” stamped on it, followed or preceded by the numbers “950” or “999,” referring to the purity of the platinum. So, that’s how you can tell if a piece of platinum jewelry is authentic.
But, what does authentic mean, exactly?
Dictionary.com defines authentic as “not false or copied; genuine; real.”
Let’s face it—nobody likes a fake. And, I’m not talking about coloring your hair or getting a spray tan, because I’m guilty of both of those. I’m talking about the fake personas we don, the masks we wear, so the whole world will think we’ve got it all together when in reality, we are the definition of a “hot mess.” We put on our “Sylvia Super Christian” mask and walk and talk the part. When someone asks how we are, we say, “Blessed, Sister,” when inside, we are dying, feeling alone, discouraged and very far from God.
In a world that’s caught up in branding and projecting the perfect persona on all social media platforms, it’s becoming more and more difficult to be real. I mean, how many of us post a picture of our piles of clothes on the floor in the laundry room or the dirty dishes in the sink from last night’s dinner? Very few, I’d say, if any. No, we pose in our favorite leopard print chair, sipping coffee from a cool mug we found on sale at Target, and take a selfie in the one area of our house that is actually free from clutter, writing something like: Loving my life “a latte” chillaxing in my leopard chair. #homedecor #lovemylife
When in reality, our hashtags should read: “therestofmyhouseisintotalchaos #Ihavenotsleptinthreedays #liarliarpantsonfire.
Listen, I’m all for putting your best foot forward and not sharing your “dirty laundry” on social media platforms—both figuratively and literally—but here’s my point. We need to be authentic in real life and online. Why? Because when we are, we give others permission to be real, too. We can drop all the facades and simply be who we are, who God created us to be, flaws and all.
We need to be authentic in real life and online because it gives others permission to be real, too. Click To TweetYou’ve probably heard the old adage that says: “You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time.”
That’s so true.
You know what else is true?
You can’t fool yourself any of the time. It’s so much better to be real with people, with yourself, and with God. He knows everything anyway.
But until we can be real with God; until we can confess our sins, tell Him our weaknesses, share with Him our dreams; until we can trust God fully with the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of our hearts, we can’t fully walk in platinum faith.
To truly walk in platinum faith, God must be involved in every step we take because He knows the end result; He knows the way; and He will help us get there. The prophet Jeremiah understood what it meant to walk in platinum faith, and he also knew that humanism—relying on our own instincts and abilities—would lead to destruction. He understood that apart from God, we can do nothing.
“ I know, Lord, that our lives are not our own. We are not able to plan our own course” (Jeremiah 10:23, NLT).
Bottom line?
We need God.
Being inauthentic or having fake faith can only take us so far. Eventually, someone will see us for what we really are, and our “Sylvia Super Christian” cover will be blown. So, quit trying to fake your way through life, and get real with God today. Relying on yourself can only take you so far, but fully trusting in Him can take you places you haven’t even imagined! Once we can admit our need and accept God’s help, we can go forth and be courageously authentic. Let’s do that today.
Once we can admit our need for God and accept His help, we can go forth and be courageously authentic. Click To TweetLearn more about living a Platinum Faith.
