What's so great about transparent tape?  Let's define transparent first. It means open; frank; candid. It also can be defined as easily seen through, recognized, or detected. I prefer transparent tape over duct tape. Though it covers what was once torn, transparent tape doesn't hide the beauty of the tear behind it. What's the problem with duct tape, you might ask? It's the opposite of transparent. Duct tape is dark and opaque. It blocks what is behind the tear. I believe a lot of Christians buy stock in duct tape. They think it's too dangerous to be transparent. In my walk as a believer, I have met few people who are willing to be open and transparent, very few who are willing to show where they've been torn.

             What's wrong with covering our tears?  It causes us to put on a mask and to pretend that everything is okay. There is safety in duct tape. It says to the viewer, “There's nothing to look at here! I've got it all together! I am perfect. There, I said it.” Perfectionism is detrimental to the life of a believer. It causes us to live a life that is not authentic. It makes us unapproachable and unattainable to the outside world. Perfectionism gives the impression that we never suffer or hurt. It makes the un-perfect feel as if they have somehow failed, which creates the I'm-Not-Good-Enough-For-God Syndrome. It will eventually cause us to run and hide from our loving Father, as well.

            How do I know this? The story of Adam and Eve shows us what covering up produces. God made them to be naked and unashamed. The encounter with the enemy destroyed that. The first thing they did to hide their mistake – their tear – was to clothe themselves with fig leaves. In other words, they duct taped themselves, then they ran and hid from the voice of God. Where there could have been transparency, forgiveness, and restoration, there was cover-up, shame, and the ultimate blame game.

            Believers should be some of the most transparent people you meet! We are to be the light and the hope for this world. How can we do that with duct tape on? People want to know that you've been torn by life. Things don't always go as planned: Hurt, pain, disappointment, fear, abuse, loneliness, abandonment, divorce, death, and countless other obstacles come our way on this journey of faith. Through our transparency with ourselves, with others and with our Father, there can be restoration. The God of All gently and lovingly applies His healing balm and binds up our wounds so all that remains is a scar, the evidence of a previous wound now healed.

           When we use transparent tape, it gives us the opportunity to love and minister to those who are in need. It humbles us by keeping perfectionism from rearing its ugly head. It keeps pride at bay. Transparent tape says to those around us, "Look, I've been torn, but behind this tape, my beauty remains. My flawed, imperfect, beautiful self remains.” We can live a life free from condemnation and from being judgmental. We can stand before our Father and humanity, naked and unashamed. Yes, we're messy. Yes, we've got a lot of transparent tape on the package of our lives. But where we once were lost, we have been found. Where we once were blind, now we see.

           I want to encourage us all to remove our duct tape and throw it away. Let's be encouraged to live a life that is transparent and free.