Joel 2:23-32 or Sirach 35:12-17 and Jeremiah 14:7-10, 19-22
Psalm 65 or Psalm 84:1-7
2 Timothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Luke 18:9-14
The most important thing that each of us has to do in life is to find our true identity. We need to know our roots, who we belong to, and what unique gifts, interests, and talents we have been given to become who we were made to be in this life. This is a job of the heart, not of the head. If we let the head do it, we could very well end up with a false identity.
"The secret of our identity lies in how we can reveal our inner quality of aliveness. When we fail to be who we really are, we sicken." - Cynthia Bourgeault
Our true identity rests deep within our soul, waiting to be discovered, anxious to be released. Often, as we travel through life, our true identity gets covered up, like a dirty light bulb, with illusions, desires, prejudices, fears, arrogance, shame, or worry. We develop a false self, someone truly foreign to us, but who nevertheless finds a place in mankind's system of things. What's shining on the inside never makes it to the surface.
This was true of Saul, until he encountered Jesus on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9) Saul was a persecutor of the Church, sending some followers to prison. On his way to Damascus to continue this persecution, he was intercepted by Jesus: "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" The encounter with Jesus caused temporary blindness in Saul, but eventually was relieved by Ananias, a disciple of the church.
Ananias laid hands on Saul, and "Immediately something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored." The false self of Saul dissolved, and Saul's true self was able to shine through. From then on Saul (soon to be known as Paul) understood what the love of God was really about, and worked for the Church until his earthly passing.
"To become God-like is to identify ourselves with the divine element which in fact constitutes our essential nature, but of which, in our mainly voluntary ignorance, we choose to remain unaware." - Aldous Huxley
Jesus further described this huge difference between the false self and the true self in the parable recorded in Luke 18. Two men went to pray in the temple. The Pharisee (and certainly not all Pharisees were like this) was living through his false self, much like Saul was. He thought he was in God's good favor because he went above and beyond what the rules required. He thought the way to God was through his status and behavior. He was depending entirely on himself, a mistaken identity.
The other man, a tax collector, was at a different place inside. He had discovered his true self, and because of this he understood his connection with God and with other people, and how his thoughts, words, and deeds either hurt or helped God's creation. He grasped the idea that we're all interconnected, and connected with God. This discovery led him to changing his life, much as Saul did. In the words of Jesus, he will become "justified" – to be made complete as an individual that is part of the whole, part of the family of God.
Some people discover their true identity early in life. Some people never do. It all depends on how thick the false self is that covers the true self. It may be a soft word or gentle touch that cracks the tough exterior coating. It may take a life-threatening situation or financial disaster. It Saul's case, it took an intervention by Christ himself.
Once we discover this inner true self, it gradually manifests itself in our outer purpose in life. We begin to make changes in our life that represent who and what we really are. Our outer life is in harmony with our inner identity. Some of these changes are risky, and may be costly in terms of material position and security; but they nevertheless lead us to a fullness in life that can't be achieved anyway else. Our mind, body, and soul grow together in harmony.
One thing we must remember is that regardless of who we meet and deal with during the day, how irritable or annoying they may be, underneath what we see and hear rests a true self waiting to be discovered. Their false self is not all their fault – we don't know what they've been through in life, or what they're facing at the moment. So be gentle.
No comments:
Post a Comment