Good morning…
With this Scripture verse ending yesterday’s post we sense our True Self coming up like jonquils out of fallen snow: May He grant you out of the riches of His glory, to be strengthened and spiritually energized with power through His Spirit in your inner self, [indwelling your innermost being and personality] (Ephesians 3:16, AMP). I am captivated by the concept of God strengthening His Spirit in our innermost being, energizing with Divine power our unique personality.
Many of the books we savor together in our living room, week by week, chapter by chapter, semester by semester, attempt to put words to this invisible, blossoming power. The hidden life of Christ (Kitty Crenshaw and Dr. Cathy Snapp). Our True Self (David Benner). Self with a capital “S” (C.G. Jung). Potentiality striving to become realized in us (John Sanford). The life that is mine to live (Parker Palmer). Our listening soul (Jan Johnson). Our waiting heart (Sue Monk Kidd). The Divine Essence, our Essential self, the ground of Being in us, the Sacred Center, the Spirit (Don Richard Riso and Russ Hudson).
Rooted in the Bible, these wise authors bring to life the organic growth of God popping through the soil of us. The image of God within us, Imago dei (Genesis 1:27). The inner kingdom of Jesus (Luke 17:21). In Christ we are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). Christ is in us (Colossians 1:27). Christ comes alive in us (Philippians 1:21). The Spirit of God gives us life (Romans 8:9-10). The fullness of Christ matures in us (Ephesians 4:13). We grow up into Christ, the head (Ephesians 4:15). We no longer live, Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20).
“I sometimes think of the True Self as a bulb,” writes Sue Monk Kidd, “a bulb buried in the dark ground of my unconscious, seeking to push into the conscious light above. You’ve perhaps noticed how windows plants wind and grow toward the light, pressing their leaves against the pane. This turning toward the sun has a scientific name; it’s called heliotropism. Jung spoke of a “human heliotropism.” The True Self seeks the light, winding and growing toward realization, pressing against the window pane of consciousness.” (When The Heart Waits, 51)
Again he (Jesus) said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade” (Mark 4:30-32, NIV).
So goes the tale of our True Self.
…Sue…
