The B99 and I are pretty big fans of the show, Survivor. Every season they seem to change things up a bit, and this season is no different. But one of the changes stood out to me because it seemed a bit much. Allow me a moment to explain it, and then I’ll share with you how God used it to remind me why authenticity matters so much to Him.
“Come on in, guys!” Is one of the more iconic lines of the show, and is yelled out by the host, Jeff Probst, every time the competitors gather for a challenge. But this year, on the very first episode, he asked the contestants if they thought he should stop saying the word, “guys.” After a discussion, there was a vote, and they all decided that the four-word line should only be a three-word line. As one who uses the word “guys” in a very generic way, it seemed a bit much to me, but not so much that I’m going to make a stink about it. But I did turn to The B99 at that point and say, “Let’s wait and see how many times that word gets used this season by the contestants.”
Last night, it was twice. Once as a member left tribal council and turned back to say, “Good luck, guys,” and once when another member who’d survived tribal council turned to the group and said, “Thanks, guys.”
I want to avoid sounding nit-picky, but I also don’t want any of us to miss the obvious: we live in a culture that makes a show about whatever the latest PC thing is and demands that you and I toe the line even when they themselves don’t maintain the standard that they demanded.
Jesus had strong things to say about people like that; people whom we would call hypocrites:
So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Everything they do is done for people to see. (Matthew 23:3-5 NIV, emphasis mine)
My point isn’t that we can’t live for a standard that we sometimes miss. If we’re breathing, we’re going to fall short. My point is that the standard has to come from a place of authenticity, not duplicity. Hypocrites live duplicitous lives, one in public and one in private. They say a lot more than they seem to live out. They demand of others what they themselves don’t do.
God desires authenticity. He’s searching for people who live lives of integrity — literally, one whole life, whether they are alone or in front of a camera. He’s looking for those who display for others more than they demand of others. That’s why this isn’t a post about Survivor as much as it’s a post about me. God isn’t asking me whether I should be saying “guys,” but rather whether I’m living out the very things that I profess before others.
That is the authentic faith that will survive the fires of this life.
