The true self is who we really are – made in the image and likeness of God as His sons and daughters. We’re in this place when we’re calm, compassionate and confident. The true self responds out of love and is immutable. The false self, by contrast responds from a place of fear. In many places the Scriptures talk about putting off the old man and putting on the new man. The false self is the old man, and the true self is the new man.
How do we do that? How do we make that journey? It’s a process of grace and coming to understand more and more who God is and what He asks of us. We come to realize how powerless we are. How we relate to our powerlessness is a process of conversion in relationship to God, ourselves, and others. By receiving from the Lord and relating to ourselves as He does, we grow in our ability to reach out to others in compassion. It’s a wonderful and challenging process.
Experiencing powerlessness is the moment of testing where we make the choice to respond in a sinful way or in a courageous way. Powerlessness is scary and we can either be sent on a negative cycle toward disconnection or a positive cycle toward intimacy with the Lord. When we see that there’s a positive direction we can move, it can really be a game changer that turns the painful bitterness to sweetness. The same way sugar is the enemy when we’re on a diet, fear is the enemy in the spiritual life. How do we handle the fear?
Powerlessness can lead us to pride, self-reliance, an eventual sense of inadequacy (because we aren’t all powerful), and shame which then leads to isolation and disconnection and an even deeper sense of powerlessness. Conversely, when we encounter powerlessness, we can respond out of humility, relying on God because He is all-good, omnipotent and He is FOR US. This then leads to a change in our heart giving us hearts of gratitude, love and trust in the Lord, and a sense of intimacy with Him.
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