The Flaws in Self Awareness

 I urge each of you to be self-aware and to be open of things that are revealed in either in the day to day or in self-reflection.  This is an important step in your journey, but this comes with a warning.  Without being open to the flow of your creator your self-knowledge will be inaccurate.  This does not mean that there is no reason to reflect. It means that the only accurate source is in the flow of the Spirit as he reveals what is true about you.  Your brain is influenced by ego and circumstances.  It has imperfect recall.  The good news is that the Spirit is inside you and very willing to come along side you and reveal things in a timely manner.  He reveals things at the very moment that it will help you in your journey. 

The reality is that you must establish an intimate relationship with your creator and submit to his direction.  The need is to have an open channel and allow Him to speak.  Your “self-reflection” will take on a new meaning when you are open to the voice of your creator.  In cooperation your journey will be enhanced.  The Holy Spirit will “guide you to all truth” (John 16:13).   Your spiritual eyes will be open to another reality.  It will not be a human assessment, but rather a supernatural one. 

It will be a humbling look to see yourself as he does.  Even a glimpse will show you how far you fall short and how far you have to go.  This should not be a surprise.  You are not divine, and your performance is flawed.  You will be in a process until they close the pine box. That is the reality of being human. 

The journey is a shared one.  You have a companion in the Holy Spirit.  He is an equal part of the trinity and when you submit to him your journey of spiritual grown and maturity will progress.  I invite you to open up to your creator and allow the Holy Spirit to inform you.  Be brave and face whatever the Spirit reveals.  He will be faithful.  Let Him do it.

The Potter and the Clay

 Are You Workable Clay? 

 You are a precious creation of the Transcendent, the Almighty God.  His gift to you is found in your uniqueness and giftedness.  He has a plan to use you in his Kingdom just as you are.  The problem is that you reject his work in you and attempt to fix yourselves by creating elaborate masks that alter yourselves to match whatever flaws you perceive.  In this effort you pile layer and layer of deception on top of your authentic, created self.  In the process you bury the original you and live life in a pretense.  It is a tragic trade that leads to a dishonest life that is exhausting and illusionary.  You are not who you create yourself to be.  It is your creation.  Your authentic true self is simply buried between layers of your imagination and creation.  There is no substance or reality to those masks.  The fact that you trade your unique, beautiful, creative self for an illusion is beyond any reason.  Your creator, designer and the transcendent God of the universe made you to perfectly match the life and tasks that he designed in advance for you to do.  He built you from the ground up for a specific purpose and function.  You cannot improve on His design acting out of fear or in an effort to meet the expectations of others.  It the greatest loss of all to make this choice.  To reject your God given self on the Altar of Insecurity and Fear is a tragic transaction.  (Jer. 18:2-6,19:19,1,11/Rom. 9:21/Isaiah 29:16/Psalm 119:14)

 Submission

Jeremiah, Isaiah and Paul speak of the creation, or the clay speaking back to the potter and challenging their design.  Paul concludes his discussion with this comment, “Does not the potter have power over the clay…”   (Rom. 9:21 NKJV)  Paul reminds you that whatever you may dislike about yourself was decided by a sovereign God.  It is not a part of your role to decide if you are right or left handed.  It is not your decision whether you are a creative or an more intellectual.  Both are needed.  Paul points out that your role is to submit and not to rule.  The reality is that you are not in charge.  Like any human organization there is an appointed individual that is in charge and it is not you.  Each of the passages points out the insolence of challenging your maker.  God pronounces, “Woe to him who strives with his Maker!” (Isaiah 45:9).  Isaiah acknowledges, “We are the clay, and you our potter; and all we are is the work of your hand”. (Isaiah 64:8)  The best strategy is to submit and cooperate with your maker.  When in union with him you can have a journey of satisfaction.  You can live the life that God intended for you.  You can celebrate who you are and embrace all that you are. 

 

 

 (Jer. 18:2-6,19:19,1,11/Rom. 9:21/Isaiah 29:16/Psalm 119:14)

7 Principles in Uncovering the True You

  1.   You are His creation and He is the creator.  He created you deliberately and with a purpose.   Sin has changed your relationship with God/Others/and Yourself.  It has caused a fracture in that relationship and that purpose.

2.    2. The beginning of your journey begins with reconnecting with your Creator and establishing and active relationship with Him.

3.     3. Your journey toward wholeness requires Self-Awareness. Others in your support system will reaffirm what God is revealing about your true self.

4.     4. The Enemy benefits in deceiving you, robbing you of your purpose, and confusing your identity.      

5.    5. Rejecting the pretense in the masks that you have created and replacing them with God’s truth leads to liberation. You must actively choose to reject the lies that you have created.

5.      6. God celebrates your uniqueness, your gifts, and the beauty of who you are.  He proclaimed you “very good.”  As He reveals your identity and your unique gifts it is up to you to use them and develop them.

6.      7. You must begin helping others in their journey of discovery.

An Invitation

 Hello my Precious Child,

I am glad to see you today.  This is Abba, your creator.  When I made you I marveled at your beauty.  I loved all of my creation, but you are special.  I see myself in you.  I made you capable of making decisions and desire that you choose to connect and spend time with me. I will not force you, but I want to share so much with you.  I want you to see yourself through my eyes and understand how valuable you are and how much that I love you.  

I am sorry that you think all I want to do is judge and criticize you. That may be your experience with those around you, but that is not who I am.  When I look at you all I see is my precious child.  I see your beauty, your originality and I long to really share life with you.   I grieve when you reject the very best parts of yourself and replace them with pretense and masks.  I made you an original and never wanted you to be anything but who I created you to be.  When I see you I am in awe and have great wonder for who you are.  I don't want you to spend your life hiding and pretending.  I want you to embrace the journey with me and trust me to guide you safely through the challenges and obstacles.  

When I look at you I see my Father.  You have his face.  He loves you so much.  When He sent me to come to you He was thinking of you.  He knew you needed me.  I died so you could live every day without fear and intimidation from the enemy.  When he sent the Spirit to you he knew you needed him as well.   He wanted to be with you every millisecond and sent His Spirit to give strength, comfort and to remind you who you are.  The Spirit is his answer to meet that need.

He is willing to talk anytime you want.  He is wise and can help you when things get difficult.  It grieves Him when you are afraid and give in to the enemy.  He knows your strengths and made you uniquely to serve Him in a specific way.  When you bend to please others and deny yourself to pretend and perform He tries to remind you of who you are.  He so wants you to be the fulfilled satisfied person that you can be when you walk in harmony with who you truly are.  Most of all I want you to know that I love you and my Father loves you.  He wants to spend time with you.  He is waiting for you to come to Him.  He promises to meet you.  He likes to spend time with you.  

My plan for you is for you to prosper and give you a bright future.  Since I made you I know what you are good at and enjoy doing.  I have a plan of action that is full of opportunities to use the gifts that I gave you.  I know when you experience the satisfaction of changing the world by using you gifts you will find a joy that is not surpassed.

I understand you and have experienced the same things that you have.  I know your struggles and pain.  I have been there.  I know how it feels to be betrayed and rejected by those who confessed their commitment to you.  Let me help you in your difficult moments.  I will give you strength to stand.  I understand when you stumble and fail.  I will help you get up and start again.  I won't lecture you for your failure.  I see how much you hurt and want to comfort you.  Your tears are precious to me.  I too cried because of the grief of loss.  I invite you to join me in this journey.  You do not have to face it on your own.  I will be the best companion you will ever have.  I have been down this road before and have been victorious over the obstacles.  I will come along side and help you through whatever you face on the road.  All you have to do is join me, I am waiting.

Your Friend,

Jesus

Creativity and the True Self

 Creativity and the True Self

One of the impacts of living to please others and to live with a mask is to limit creativity.  The true self creates a safe place for true creativity and free expression.  It flows from your center and  allows you to tap into genuine creative energy.  The creation of the world illustrates the virtue of creativity that flows from God.  In becoming more like our father in heaven we gain this creative edge that surpasses normal human creativity.  

When you review the creation you find a God who made elephants, octopuses, zebras, sloths and  skunks obviously had a creative intellect. From venus flytraps to saguaro cacti He outdid himself in his creative efforts.  I lived in Arizona for a brief time.  I was there long enough to experience the surprises of the desert.  The life that existed in what I thought was a barren land.  The beautiful flowers that were on the cacti that brightened the desert amazed me.  

The false self is always concerned with response of others.  It may censor you in ways that limit what you create.  It may twist your creative effort from the God given inspiration that flows as a child of God.  The freedom of the creative process in the mind of the believer is an asset that many do not recognize.  The art, writing, and ideas that flow from a sanctified mind is only limited by the level of connection to the ultimate creator.  The inspiration flows from that union surpasses any other source. 

Another reality in the creative process is the quest for originality.  Every artist and creative wants to make a unique mark.  They want to stand out among their peers.  You cannot be original while living life by comparison.  Only the true self is capable of true originality.  It is really a collaboration with the eternal.  It flows from the union of us with the father as we walk with our true face.  

I have known lots of successful creative people in my career.  I have talked to them about their creative process.  Everyone of them is aware of some external thing that occurs in that exchange.  They do not claim to be in control of that spark of inspiration.  After a lifetime of experience it is still a mystery exactly what happens.  They cannot explain it.  God enters the picture here.  He sanctifies the creative process.  It surpasses the natural ability to be creative.  It is important to realize that when God enters the process it is transformed.  In a small way I have experienced this in sermon writing.  There are sermons that seem to flow and you are only a conduit.  They surpass any human process.  There is an external source of every word.  

If you want to experience your greatest creativity connect to the divine creator.  He will transform your process.  That is only the beginning of your 

Accepting and Embracing Your True Identity

One of the struggles most people have is believing in your worth.  One of the often-quoted formulas that people use to estimate the value of themselves or others is what you do, what you have, or what others think of you.  Another way to express this is your performance, possessions, or the perception of others.  The issue of these schemes is their external nature.  All have to do with things that are outside you or outside your control. 

You have intrinsic value.  That means that you are like a bar of gold, a string of pearls, or a 5 karat diamond you have value for your existence not your performance.  They have value that is internal it is built into what they are. They do not ever lose their value. In fact they retain their value no matter what.  If you have watched “The Antique Road Show” one of the best moments is when someone brings an item that doesn’t look like much, but in the valuation of the experts it is found that is rare and has surprisingly great value.  It does not appear to be of any significant value, but it has great value.  When this happens there is a gasp and a look of surprise. 

When you look in the mirror you may not see much, but when your creator looks at you he sees your true value.  He sees that you were worth dying for, worth providing for and worth the cost of your redemption.  The following statement reflects this reality. 

“I am special, unique, original, one of a kind.  I was made in His image and likeness.  I am unequivocally, irreducibly & indivisibly, unique.  I am separate, particular and unrepeatable.  He has assigned me great value and his love for me is beyond expression.  In fact He loves me so much He invites me into an intimate relationship and has adopted me as his son.  I was designed and gifted to serve a specific task in His Kingdom.  I will experience fulfillment and satisfaction only if I cooperate with Him, follow His plan and experience all that He has for me.”

This statement is a combination of concepts that I have uncovered in my research from a variety of sources.  It is a reminder of what God thinks of each of us.  You and I are not who we think we are, we are who creator thinks we are.  It is not the first impulse for most of us.  We have so much life experience that convinces us of negative opinions.  It is much easier to accept them than to believe the truth.  Satan has deceived us.  This deception paralyzes us and keeps us from accepting the truth and from embracing our true destiny.  It is a tragedy to live a total lifetime wallowing in insignificance based on this deception.  You have a greater destiny than you realize.  This is the truth.

Sanctified Self Awareness

 Sanctified Self Awareness

 Throughout my blogs, you will find me encouraging you to find your true self through your connection to the Father.  I believe that is still true, but I am not minimizing the value of self-awareness.  While I believe that man is flawed and any self-perception can be skewed this does not take away the importance of paying attention to the things that you can learn from introspection.  I found a clear statement from the unknown Mystic who wrote “The Cloud of Unknowing”.  He admonishes that even if he had the intercession of the saints, angels, and both clergy and fellow members of the congregation it would not equal to even a “little self-knowledge”.  He further believed that when you acquired that self-knowledge “you will very soon come to an experiential knowledge of God’s goodness and love”.  This is a reward beyond measure. 

It is not hard to imagine the process that allows this to occur.  The more you see yourself clearly, the more you will be forced to admit your need for Him.  It will force you onto your knees in confession and to request his “grace and help in time of need”.  It begins with your permission to allow him to speak into your life.  The consent of your will to open up to Him and the faith to accept His words and to act on them is imperative.  No intercession can accomplish this.  It is not that there is no value to intercession, rather it is that the decision always reverts to you.  He does not force Himself.  You can live a deluded life in the false self if you choose to.  No one else can force you to live in reality and to embrace the moments of blatant revelation that interrupt you when you begin to pretend. 

I encourage you to be vigilant and aware for these moments that occur.  Pay attention to the moments of reality that crash your trip into the Land of Make-Believe.  God is faithful to bring clarity and to call your bluff.  He will show up if you leave room for His presence.  Take courage and allow Him to speak into you.  He wants to more than anything …

Find your Magic

I recently watched the Marvel movie, “The Eternals”.  In one scene one of the demi-gods was struggling to learn how to understand and control their newfound powers.  While this is all fantasy and doesn’t reflect my theology, it got me thinking about the uncovering of your true self.  Rather than focus on the Herculean struggle that it can be this thought, it changed my perspective completely.  It can be difficult, but it is also the biggest adventure of our journey.  The rewards of living in your true self are very real.  Your “magic” as the quote refers to is your ticket to freedom, life, and fulfillment.  Once you connect to your creator and live a life of intimacy with Him you will find a whole new level of existence.  Your cooperation with Him and submission to His plan will bring you into harmony with your life journey.  Like an alcoholic describing his process of becoming sober, it is difficult, but the process is worth it. 

This shift is very important.  When you live with masks and pretend your life does not work.  When you begin to uncover the person that God created you to be you will find life more abundant.  The submission to Him and the courage to be unapologetically yourself is to live in intimacy with your creator and to embrace his will for your life.  It is to experience the joy of belonging.  It is to discover your place in the healthiest, most loving family there is.  It is to find the peace that passes all understanding.  That is why the focus on the outcome is so important in this process.  You may have to face and process things that you wanted to avoid.  You may have to acknowledge things about yourself that cause you discomfort and pain.  You may end up dealing with many complications in relationships as you begin to transition into your creator’s image of you.  You will experience a great release from bondage and experience liberation at a level that is unprecedented. 

Like most spiritual processes this is an ongoing activity.  Satan is ready to bring back the bondage and chaos if you succumb to the temptation to pretend.  It is as close as a single decision to pretend.  The chilling effect on your spirit will come quickly.  Like all sin, it is actually more natural than living righteously.  It will feel better because you are in control of the process and you know the territory.  The chaos and bondage will return and even that will feel more natural than freedom.  So remember, this is an ongoing effort that will require vigilance and awareness.  This is a lifetime journey, so don’t become oblivious and apathetic.  Listen to the voice of your creator.  He will guide your steps.

 

In The Meantime

The meaning of the title is a very old phrase from the 14^th century.  It means” in the intervening time” or the time in between something and something else.  I recently struggled to write anything because my mind was occupied and I could not focus on anything but life itself.  I was in the “meantime” or the time between.  You live your life in that space.  You have experienced one thing and you are waiting for something else.  You are in between the events of your lives just waiting.  You can begin to view this as wasted time or unproductive time, but you are wrong.  God uses these times in your life often to speak.  You must be in a place to listen, but he is preparing you for the next thing.  In his moments of intimacy with you in prayer and meditation, contemplation and prayer he speaks.  He comforts, he encourages, he admonishes, and he prepares you.  Any relationship needs quiet moments to catch up and to process.  God wants to spend time with you!  He wants to hold you in his arms and reassure you about whatever is causing you to struggle and doubt.  It is often in the meantime when you think nothing is happening.

Satan wants to rob you of this time!  He wants it to be a time of doubt and struggle.  In the quiet, you can hear the voices and feel the emotions.  It is a fertile time for your doubts to take root and to despair.  It is a fertile time for despair to take root.  Any good that this time can produce can be prohibited or erased.  Satan does not want you to experience the intimacy of this time.  He wants to drive a wedge between you and your creator.  He will do anything in his power to steal the potential of these times.  He does not want increased intimacy between you and your creator.  It threatens his schemes.  The only answer is to snuggle in and relax with Him and begin to prepare for whatever is on the other side of this lull in the action.  Pay attention to the cues that are occurring.  If you don’t quiet down and listen you may miss them. 

I grew up in farm country in central Indiana.  I had the chance to watch the cycle of corn that grew all around me.  In the winter, when the fields were fallow it would have been a mistake to assume that they were not doing anything productive.  The farmers knew that the soil needed a periodic break to replenish the nutrients.  There would be the danger of stripping the soil and making it less productive or not productive at all if it were not allowed to rest.  There were seasons that a farmer might plant nothing in a field and let it remain fallow.  You too need seasons of rest to replenish your resources.  Trust the God of the journey to guide you in the process.  Don’t struggle and miss the benefits of the season.  You will return stronger than ever ready to do “every good work”(Hebrews 13:211-23) if you allow Him to lead!

Destiny

The word destiny is a form of the word destination.  It challenges the idea that we live a purposeless, meandering, pointless existence.  It projects a life that is leading to somewhere specific.  To me the thought that in His kingdom that I have a destiny and am heading for a specific destination is comforting.  The devil would have me believe that this life was random and that I was a victim of the chaos of the events around me.  He would have me seek meaning, identity, and direction from schemes of my own making.  He knows my nature of needing answers to the big questions and tries to misdirect me from reality.  But I know that my destiny is found in my creator.

This is a comforting thought in the chaos of life.  Though there is a plan and destination, the way is not straight and will have difficulties.  I will struggle to make sense of things.  I will not comprehend all the twists and turns that are in the path of my journey.  This confidence in my creator gives me a sense of purpose even in difficult moments.  It gives me stamina when I feel like giving up.  It gives me faith when I begin to doubt.  It gives me perspective and direction when I get lost and lose my way.  God is faithful to remind us when we lose that sense of destiny when we begin to forget.

The phrase “be strong and courageous” is repeated to each of the patriarchs when God began to sense that they needed a reminder.  Your destiny will require the best of you.  It will require all of you.  It will require strength and courage.  It will test you.  By its very nature, it will demand that you put away your masks and work out of reality.  It will be based on your unique gifts and skills.  It is what you are created for.  That means no confusion of identity.  No rejection of yourself or your creator will be allowed.  How can you walk in your destiny if you reject the giver of that destiny and the very skills it will require.  It is not possible to be weak and remain faithful to your true identity.

Your destiny is also a form of promise.  When Satan tries to discourage you, it stands as a stake in the ground to remind you that he is lying and cannot be trusted.  Remember that his job is to “steal, kill and destroy…” (John 10:10), while God promises “life and life more abundant” (John 10:10).  When Satan speaks he deceives.  That is his “natural language (John 8:44).  Your destiny stands whether you feel it or not.  It remains in Him as His promise to you and your future.  It may not be visible at this moment.  It may not seem to be moving fast enough.  One of my profs in college used to say, “God’s clock keeps perfect time.”  He does know what he is doing even the way may seem chaotic.  His promise remains even though the way is not without obstacles.  The power of His promise shows up uniquely when the way is difficult.  When the way seems dark and the obstacles rise ahead of you remember, your destiny is intact.  Your creator and the one who made the promise are still working on your behalf.  He has not forgotten you.  Remember to hold tightly to His hand so he can lead you through.  He will not let you fall.

Moments of Truth

When you think about the process of revealed truth from the father regarding your identity it is easy to romanticize the process.  You imagine some soft whisper from the father in a state of contemplation.  While this may for some on occasion it is just as likely to occur in a moment of struggle and chaos.  It is often in a moment failure and is very messy.  While the outcome may be stellar the process is not pleasant.  Uncovering your masks and the deception in your life is not something that you look forward to.  The reality is that you do have areas of need and they will show up when you least expect it.  There never is a great time to look your issues in the face.  

When you see yourself honestly you will often grieve at the realization of the sin and struggle.  The impact of your selfishness and sin will naturally bring repentance.  You will not excuse your behavior.  You will recognize it for what it is.  You will see your lack of trust and assertions of independence in a new perspective and begin to submit and trust.  Humility becomes more and more natural because you gain an accurate picture of yourself.  Repentance becomes a way of life instead of an intrusion.

God is able to infuse his power into your life and use you in new ways.  Your capability will become greater and greater as he does things through you.  You can become a channel of his power and grace.  But the journey begins with submitting to the process and experiencing the discomfort and tears of these uncomfortable moments of truth.  Even when they are difficult they will spur you to grow in your journey.  Even when the truth does not float down like a feather as you make your journey.it is not a stranger to you if you are open to truth.  The nature of the journey is one of connecting to the source and allowing Him to lead you on a journey of transformation and truth. 

If you walk in humility these moments will be easier.  You will learn to kneel at the feet of the truth giver and submit to the adjustments that are required.  He will lead you to the things that are the obstacles to what he is doing in the moment.  He knows what you need and will put them in a sequence that matches your needs at that moment.  This will be a lifetime process.  It will flow naturally through your relationship with your creator.  Pray that He will show you who you really are and accept His truth.  He will be faithful.