the flawed authentic

In two sleeps I'll be off to Bali with my hubby & some friends. I'm oh so excited wondering about all the things we'll likely get up to, I know the boys are planning some fun & us girls will do what girls do best and hit the day spas, beaches and most importantly... the shopping! Jealous much?? Sorry! You can be guaranteed to find some bargains coz if you don't know Bali, its' known for it's cheap shopping & lot's of 'rip-off' label items like sunnies & clothing & handbags etc


& now that's got me thinking...


You see, 'rip off' label handbags for example are in fact 'real' handbags, you hold them or carry them on your shoulder, put things in them etc, so that makes them a real handbag right?! The thing is, they aren't authentic designer label handbags despite having the badges or logos on them, they are actually fake, which is why they can sell them cheap. A genuine article on the other hand, is made with the finest of materials & is therefore costly.
So then, being the girl that I am after thinking of handbags, my brain went the next step further and began to think of diamonds... I remember something Lisa Bevere wrote once about authenticity, allow me to educate you in the same way she did for me.


Did you know that it is rare for a genuine diamond to be free of flaws? It's the flaws in a diamond that actually authenticate the stone when it is being graded. Wow!


To be authentic and genuine does not mean we are to be without flaws. To present ourselves as flawless we actually declare ourselves as fake. It's better to be a flawed authentic than perfect but fake! .. So true!


For years I tried to maintain the appearance that everything in my world was perfect, what I hadn't realised is that in doing so, it had the potential to cause me to be unapproachable, not genuine & it magnified the flaws in others that were in my presence. -yuk!


The lovely Mrs Bevere goes on to say that pretending to be perfect does not inspire perfection, (even though I thought it did for a long time). In all our pretending, instead of lifting others up, it can weigh them down. So glad I'm not a fan of that any more and I'm pleased to say people still find me loveable, warts & all - how awesome is that, life just keeps getting better!
Authentic describes something genuine or original as opposed to something fake, or a reproduction.  My dear girl, there is something unique & original about you - don't waste your time comparing, competing & trying to be a copy!!


Part of being authentic is realising the value of the original.


God is looking for authenticity in His Daughters, in all that you are, reflect the beauty & the price that was paid for your salvation. We are His gemstones rare & precious that He has allowed with flaws. The whole world is watching in the hope that you will be an original.


She is authentic. She is genuine. She is a jewel.