Authenticity is Audacious

I had never seen her before.  And I am pretty much a regular in that store.

And on this particular day I was in a mad rush to get it all accomplished.

You know the days, right?  When your to-do list is overwhelming and the reality is that more resides on your list than hours in the day.

And sometimes you just “know” when a derailment is coming - and there’s not much you can do about it.

There I was in line feeling… stuck.  Someone in front of me, someone behind, items already emptied on the belt, and it was going painfully slow.

And it didn’t take me long to realize that the reason was the cashier.  A young girl… likely in her mid 20’s… cute, kind, friendly, but going too slow for my liking on this particular day.

But then I saw it. 

It was something different about her.

Maybe it was the way she looked at me with the intention to listen.  Rare these days indeed.
Because when she asked me, “How are you today?” I really felt, with deepest sincerity, like she really wanted to know.
How was that possible?  We’re usually too rushed, too self-absorbed to care, but too courteous not to ask.

Maybe it was the way she talked slow as if to give the greatest gift each one of own… time.  Because the rushing head-long into life is not an appropriate reaction when our desire is to savor every moment we’ve been given.  It was something about the calmness she possessed that captivated me and drew me in… in to her gentle world of peace.

And was so… her sweet authentic spirit… right up to our last interaction…. eyes laser focused on me as if, for the time, I was all that really mattered.

For some reason all I could think of when I left that day was authenticity is audacious. 

Audacious, according to the dictionary, means, “recklessly brave, extremely original, highly inventive, lively; unrestrained; uninhibited.”

And she was.

And I could be too.

Because it is the Jesus way.  It’s how He lived.  Recklessly, brave, original, inventive, unrestrained.

Because that girl made my day.  Her bravery to live with authenticity and intention was a game-changer for me.

The question now becomes… will I choose to be audaciously authentic?