Is
“finding yourself”a humanistic idea? At
one time in my life I was so overly concerned about slipping into
humanism, that I think I lost my humanity, and the ability to
recognize humanity in others. How can this happen? A little later,
I'll address a fear that touches us all.
Humanism
can be thought of as putting mankind at the center of the universe,
or from an individual perspective, self-centered thinking.
Humanism says that, God or anything outside of the human himself, is
not needed to become a better human. I believe the opposite is true.
Acknowledging a need for God is the first and most important way to
become a better human. The original Designer and Creator of mankind
knows best how his creation "ticks." In order for a
builder to build a house, he must first have a detailed drawing
(schematic) to work from. If a problem is encountered in the
construction, or if repairs are needed after living in the house for
some time, the original schematic is helpful to diagnose the problem.
So it is with the human body, mind, soul, and spirit. We are
complex beings that need a lot of help when it comes to growth and
development. To be aware of our humanness does not automatically
make us a humanist, but is in fact necessary to find true meaning in
life.
I
think much of the fear of becoming too humanistic is in reality, a
fear of exposing something in your humanity that you won't know what
to do with. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe once said, "'Know
thyself?' If I knew myself, I'd run away." It is normal to
feel a bit apprehensive about exploring unknown areas of your
personality or allowing yourself to experience God in a way you
haven't before. But facing this kind of fear is necessary for
personal and spiritual growth. In order to change for the good
(better yourself), you must allow yourself to engage new thoughts and
ideas.
Jesus
introduced a new idea when he summarized the ten commandments into
two by declaring,
Techniques
of self-help, personal growth, and mindfulness are all secondary to
the power of God driving positive change in a person's life. To be
in touch with true humanity requires humility. Humility is most
important of virtues. True humility presumes God-centered thinking
and actions. When our deepest passions and motivations are submitted
to God in humility, our actions will always produce good results.
When God's love is completed in mankind, commandments aren't even
needed!
Finding
yourself, or finding your identity (who you are) and destiny (purpose
for being) as a human, is what gives you meaning in life. And this
meaning is found by relating to the God who designed a unique "blue
print" for every human being created on earth, you and I
included. The Psalmist explained, "
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s
womb. I praise you
because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful, I know that full well. My
frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your
eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written
in your book before one of them came to be" (Psalm 139:13-16).
So
when someone says something like, "You'll find yourself by
looking within," they are correct, as long as we acknowledge God
as the supreme authority. If we're looking within to find the person
God made us to be, we are on the right path. If we're looking
within, without the presupposition that God is the source and
revealer of all truth, whatever we find will be deficient of God's
intentions for our being. He gives us the choice. By choosing Him,
we can find out who we really are. By rejecting him, we forfeit the
discovery of our true self.
This
is not a one time decision. It is a process of allowing our humanity
(fleshly being) become more and more influenced by our spirit being.
This happens by the God's Spirit breathing a rebirthing within our
being. Jesus described it like this to a religious man, "truly
I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born
again.
... unless they are born of water and the Spirit.
Flesh
gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit
gives birth to
spirit. You
should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You
must be born again.’
The
wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot
tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone
born of the Spirit” (John 3:3-8). As our relationship with God
grows on our life journey, more and more of our identity and purpose
is birthed into being. It
matters not who we are, how well we think we know God, or how much
(or little) we know about
God, We are all in the same condition. We must surrender to God (on
a daily basis) those parts of our heart not yet surrendered to be
reborn by his Spirit.
Finding
God is the key to finding yourself. Then,
loving
what you find,
is
the key to,
living
well in mind.
It
is certainly God's desire that you seek, find, and choose Him. My
prayer too, is that wherever you are in your journey, the light of
His love overwhelms any darkness trying to keep more of you from
being found.
Note:
The book Escaping the Pain of Offense:
Empowered to Forgive from the Heart discusses
themes of dealing with disappointments, offense and finding freedom
in forgiveness. This book is designed to help people (especially in
the Christian faith) to discover and dislodge things in life that
lead to defeat. Don't miss out on your chance to use this book as a
helpful tool in discovering Refuge in Christ. It can be purchased by
clicking here: http://bluerockbnb.com/healing/book_main.htm
.
by Ed Hersh, Blue Rock BnB Healing Ministry
