My response to being open is that transparency is a word that has some negative connotations in my mind for some reason, maybe because of situations and people that I have encountered in the past. That said, I'm all for accountability, openness and being genuine. Here's the trick though: transparency (at least what it means to me in my mind) must be served with cultural context and a dollop of Biblical wisdom. A big one. If someone wants to get all up in your business (or someone else's) for the sake of "praying" for you (or them), it's a red flag. Something tells me this post isn't going to be too popular in some circles.
To me, openness is to be confident, humble genuine, generous and inviting. But that does not mean that we share everything with everyone. I think transparency and openness should speak more to how we live our every day lives instead of sharing our deepest, darkest secrets with every new friend. Openness builds community, so often we clench what we have in material possessions in our culture. If we let it go and learn how to live in a truly healthy community - there is a richness that money cannot buy.
Something that my parents always taught me was that,"People are more important than things". Listening to people, caring and serving is where it's at. In order to be open with others, we must be open with ourselves. What that means to me is to understand what I have been redeemed and forgiven of, so that I can extend that grace and generosity to those around me as best I can.
Prayer for Unreached People Group - the Fur people of western Sudan
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