Finding Yourself

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,

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” First of all, awareness and surrender of heart, soul, and mind to God is most fundamental for discovering true humanity. Then, when you place God at the center of your being, you can accept who he made you to be so that you can “love your neighbor as yourself.” That is how you find yourself. The is the divine design for humans to express their humanity. We fulfill the commandments not by focusing on them, but by focusing on God (receiving His love) and focusing on sharing His love inside you with others (giving His love away).

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