I started meeting with a group of men on Tuesday early morning when I’m in town for study. One of the things we discussed yesterday was the story of Jesus first sending out his disciples to spread the Word. So one guy said that the word that kept springing to mind was “transparent.” The disciples needed to be transparent.
That was a great word. There was to be no duplicity, no trickery, no masks, no false personality. Think of the ways that the word works. The intention of the disciples was transparent to the people (whether they accepted the message or not). The disciples were transparent in the sense that the light of Jesus shone through them (think of like a pane of glass). People saw God through them.
Tim came to a group many years ago. He stated that he always looked for the mask people wore. He believed that all people were hiding something behind a mask. You never saw their true selves, their true motives.
He may be right, but I think that there are people who are genuine. “What you see is what you get,” as the saying goes. That’s what we should be. Our love, our motives, our representation of Jesus should be transparent. We get that way by pausing and looking at ourselves. Every day. Where did we have a hidden agenda? Where did we hide behind a mask? Where should we have let the light of God shine through us?
Faith Venture 
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