Transparency provides fuel for the journey.

My dad was an extremely private person. He fought to keep any failure or gap hidden, unknown. The chains of pride kept him locked up. When he had Parkinson’s disease, he removed himself from the public’s eye, as dad did not want to let the world see him shaking. He took shame to the grave.

Make no mistake, my dad was one of my heroes. He is a reason I am who I am.  But, he was human, just like every one of us. I learn from my dad now as I did when he was alive.

We are all born with threads, those innate characteristics, traits, tendencies that are in one’s blood, unique to the family. Some threads are positive and some are negative.

I have come to understand that lack of transparency is one of my negative threads. But, I also now understand that transparency in life provides fuel for the journey.

Transparency is a key to personal growth. One’s growth is stunted by shame.

Transparency removes chains. The hidden has no power if it is revealed.

Transparency displays humility. Publicly recognizing that you don’t have it all together is magnetic.

Transparency creates trust. Deep relationships are created when one is an open book.

Transparency impacts other people. One is approachable when transparency is present.

Transparency is a domino. One that freely shares mistakes, faults, gaps, fosters openness.

Transparency makes a great leader. One that openly shows gaps creates a unified team, marriage, family, friendship.

And, ultimately, transparency is the foundation of a relationship with Christ, as it is an admission of guilt, followed by an act of repentance. It is telling Jesus what He already knows.

I transparently wrote my life story in great detail for my kids – wins, losses, mistakes, faults, gaps. It was a way for me to fight this thread. It was a way for me to be completely transparent with my past. I wanted those that I cherish the most to realize that it is okay to have gaps, mess up, make mistakes. Life happens, even with their dad.

The thing about negative threads is that they never completely go away. They are part of you. The key is to control the weave. It is a regular, daily battle.

And, the first step is to recognize the negative thread, the tendency. We all have them.

Then, daily doing business with that thread provides great clarity for why you do certain things, great power because the thread doesn’t hold you back, and great freedom to be who you are.

Ultimately, for me, transparency removes obstacles and creates fuel for the journey.

But, I have to control the weave daily.

Impact others. Live generously.