I was raised with the nugget, authenticity matters. It matters, not because it’s impressive, but it matters because it’s decent. The alternative, according to my parents growing up, was unacceptable. Fake and phony had no place in the way my siblings and I were to interact with one another, with family, friends or even strangers. My husband was raised the same way. Likewise, we have raised our children with the same teaching. However, I’m learning authenticity and decency are not nuggets everyone wants.

Who wants to be truthful, faithful or dependable when pleasure is a competing option? Who wants to be “unpopular” in today’s fan and follower hierarchical systems? Decent practices stick out like sore thumbs in our society and they only receive the undivided attention of others when crisis plagues the landscape and threatens the horizon. Well, here we are. Our copious days of crises are leading us all to a crucible. To be authentic or not to be. To be decent or not to be. No rocket science here, just a decision in humanness. Some have made the pivotal decision, evidenced by the discussion of authenticity in board rooms, mission statements, and its bold presence on the lips of transforming leaders. Authenticity is the new buzz word that trumps fake and phony and yields innovation and lasting fruit.

Authenticity is stirring an uprising in our midst. It competes with selfish tendencies and practices. It competes with the belief, “Fake it till you make it.” It competes with systems and processes that reward popularity vs. substance. This uprising lifts up God’s way. Be truthful, be faithful, be dependable. Someone is depending on your decision to do so. Authenticity matters.