An Authentic Life: 3 Key Elements of Authentic Living

What comes to mind when you think of an authentic life? Is it a life that is true to yourself, or perhaps a life that is lived genuinely? If you’ve had any of these in mind or the like, you’re on the right track!

Today, I would like to share with you what it means to live an authentic life, from a Christian perspective. If this is something you’re interested in learning more of, I encourage you to continue reading.

An Authentic Life

Authentic living or an authentic life is simply living life in a way that is true to one’s self. In other words, a life that is intentionally lived that aligns with who you are at your core; the very essence of who you are.

As a Christian woman I’ve come to discover that living an authentic life doesn’t stop there. It’s also about living a life that is true to God and His plans for your life. And choosing to live in direct alignment with those plans.

It begins with discovering who you are in Christ, living a genuine life that honors God, and learning to align your life with Him. This means letting go of your personal plans + desires or will, and totally surrendering them to God. God’s plans are always the best plans. This only makes complete sense because God is, in fact, the one who created you.

I’ve briefly shared what it means to live an authentic life, now let’s get into the three key elements of living an authentic life.

This post is all about living an authentic life in Christ.

Living an Authentic Life

These three key elements are fundamental as you pursue authentic living, especially in Christ. They are the keys I’ve discovered along my journey when learning how to build an authentic life in Christ. I believe they too will help you on your journey. So, without further ado, let’s get right into it!

1. Discovering Your True “Core” Self:

Being clear on who you are is vital when pursuing an authentic life, as a woman of God. By spending immense time with God and yourself, this will be key in helping you to identify your true identity.

This is so important for you as it will allow you the opportunity to know who you are in Christ. It’s also an opportunity to search within yourself to find the things that are deeply rooted within your soul.

As I pursued true self identity it was important for me to learn what God’s word said about me. I also had to search my own soul to find the things that I believed God had planted within me. This was so that I could also learn who He created me to be.

Soul Searching

Some may say, “go and search your heart to find your true self”, but I beg to differ. Self discovery goes beyond searching and following your heart. I believe it’s more of deep ‘soul’ searching and connecting with that part of self.

Oftentimes, what’s in our heart is true to how we strongly feel about something or someone. However, most times it’s just that, based on mere feeling and emotion, which can change over time. Our heart goes through different motions during different phases of our lives. One moment we can love something, the next moment we can despise it. Trusting what’s deep in your soul is more solid because that is where the real you lies.

On the other hand, your soul is deeply connected to God, and is the very essence of who you truly are. And there I believe, is where He hides those deep treasures and mysteries of your true identity. They’re hidden because God wants you to do the work to find and discover them.

Not many ever discover who they truly are because this takes true intention, patience, stillness, a connection with God (in terms of having a relationship with Him), and a little courage. Most people either don’t want to put in the work or don’t know where to start. Others unfortunately, just don’t really care to know or think they already know, which they may or may not. Anything worth knowing, is worth searching for, and this is one of those things.

Intentionally Seeking

In today’s modern day era where each of our lives are bombarded + consumed by daily responsibilities and distractions, it’s difficult for anyone to take the proper time to sit and dig deep within themselves. That is unless you intentionally do it. Many are living or have lived in the beliefs or identities that they have allowed both society and people to pose on them. This is a result of not knowing who you truly are. Great news is that you can begin to change this today and truly embrace the real you.

As you begin your intentional journey to true self discovery, you’ll begin to discover that it hides deeply within you. As a disclaimer, I believe you can and will only discover your true identity through establishing relationship with Christ. He is the one who will give you the ability to search deep in your soul and connect with your true self. This is not something you can just do on your own, especially if you’re wanting to know who God created and designed you to be.

True self discovery is an essential element to living an authentic life because once you uncover who you truly are, you will then live in such a way that only aligns with your true core values + beliefs, and this here is powerful.

2. Living True Before God:

Living a purely genuine life before God is what truly honors Him. This means pursuing a life that honors God and choosing not to magnify yourself or your own ways of living above His. It’s important that you spend quality time getting to know God because in this time spent with Him is how you will begin to learn His ways and how He wants you to live your life.

Living honorably before God is about living a life that pleases God in the aspect of not indulging in sinful behaviors, being dishonest, and the like. One of the best, most effective ways to learn how to live before God in an honorable way is by studying and learning His word. There you will find what God expects and desires of His people (i.e. How to conduct yourself, etc.).

God’s word is His ways and this is your daily manual as a Christian. Using this manual as a guide will help you maneuver through life as a child of God. This will set you apart from those of the world who aren’t aligned with Christ.

Living in such a way will help you to live authentically in Christ. This is because you are living a life in God and you’re seeking the ways of God daily. Of course this does not come automatically and you may have days where you fall short (because you’re only human), but with true intention, commitment, and strong willpower to live an authentic life in Christ, these are the keys that will help you to live true unto God and live an authentic life in Christ. 

3. Aligning with God’s Will:

Aligning your life with God’s will is all about first becoming aware of what His will is and what this means for you.

As you begin to seek God’s word and spend quality time with Him in prayer and meditation, you will begin to learn the ways of God and what He is calling you to. God will begin to reveal to you the quality of life He wants you to pursue.

Carefully + thoroughly examining your current lifestyle will allow you to see the things you need to let go of or change. Then, align with God’s ways. Maybe there’s some things you currently do that is dishonoring to God. Perhaps there’s things that may not quite align with who you truly are but you do them anyhow. Whatever it is, becoming aware of them and intentionally acknowledging them will be a gamechanger for you.

Carefully consider those things and surrender them completely to God. Even pray and ask God to help you to let them go and change how you live. This will help you to truly begin aligning your ways with God’s. Ultimately you’ll begin diminishing your ways and living according to His. This is what an authentic life directly aligned with God is all about.

This post was all about living an authentic life in Christ.

If you want to learn more about what it means to live an authentic life, check out, “The Importance of Authenticity”. Happy Reading!