One of Henri Nouwen’s spiritual polarities and a component of authentic presences is the inward reflection and our struggle with self — true-self vs. false-self. That is is the person who we are one the inside accurately reflected by who we project ourself to be to others? As I speak of self I am looking at it at a very basic level. The questions I ask when I speak of self are: 1) Are the things we say we believe and value reflected in the way we live our life?, 2) Do you leverage the way you are wired, your natural skills and your spiritual gifting so as to benefit others around you?, or as described in James 2 3) Does your faith lead to action?
The problem that many of us face when looking at these questions is that we don’t always know what we fully believe and value, we don’t know the extent of our wiring and giftedness, we don’t know how to put our faith into action. It’s not that we don’t have any beliefs, values, gifts or faith, it’s that we have never taken the time to evaluate, organize and act on them.
Foundational Beliefs
We all have a set of foundational belief, we may not be able to articulate them but they are part of our life. The question to ask here is “What or who is it that is informing my foundational beliefs?” Is it culture and society? Is it God? Is it the people we associate with? Is it the things we watch and read? To be honest it is probably a combination of some or all of these. The trouble with having multiple sources is that there will be times when two or more will contradict each other. The question then “Which one trumps?”
We all have a set of foundational belief, we may not be able to articulate them but they are part of our life. The question to ask here is “What or who is it that is informing my foundational beliefs?” Is it culture and society? Is it God? Is it the people we associate with? Is it the things we watch and read? To be honest it is probably a combination of some or all of these. The trouble with having multiple sources is that there will be times when two or more will contradict each other. The question then “Which one trumps?”
For me it is God who I have chosen as the “trump card.” My foundational beliefs are drawn from the stories God has given us in the Bible. I actually talk of my foundational beliefs in the from of three meta-narratives that I find as I read the Bible — the creation narrative, the restoration narrative, and the eternal narrative. I don’t have the space to dive deeply into each of these right now but my beliefs on creation, relationship, meaning, restoration, and purpose all follow out of these narratives.
Operational Beliefs and Values
Flowing out of my foundational beliefs are my operational beliefs and values. I am currently working on living out eight operational beliefs. Each belief is grounded in scripture, has an associated value, and an action plan for putting the belief into action.
Flowing out of my foundational beliefs are my operational beliefs and values. I am currently working on living out eight operational beliefs. Each belief is grounded in scripture, has an associated value, and an action plan for putting the belief into action.
The question I have been pondering for the last year or so is “Who am I and how best can I leverage my answer?” The short answer that I have come up with is I am called to come along side other and help them to… How I finish this question depends upon the context in which it is asked — at work, at home, at church, and doing ministry will all have their own particular responses.
I did not arrive at this point in my ponderings overnight. I have been actively reflecting on different aspects of these question for the last 10–12 years. I have put a lot of effort in to figuring out who my true-self is and make sure that I am not presenting a false self to others. I know that I succeed more than I fail, but there is still work to be done. The discovery of true-self is not a one and done things. Documents that I create are organic in nature — I have three documents that I pull out 3–4 times a year that allow me to assess where I am in the true-self vs false-self battle. These documents continue to evolve as God continues to transform me into the man he knows I am.
It is through this process of getting to know myself better that I am better able to be authentically present with others as I interact with them in life.