Reflections for 2/26/10

"The sense of personhood that comes from truthfulness is immense. It's the sacred no, the ability to say no to the false self. That gives one a sense of having boundaries, of knowing what is part of oneself and what isn't. Until a person can do that there is an endless amorphous kind of personality without dignity or self-respect. Good morality provides good boundaries and good identity." (R. Rohr "Radical Grace" pp. 11-112)

If you remember the game show "To Tell the Truth", you'll recall that at the end of the game. The host would say to the those who were trying to full the panel of celebrities, "will the real John/Jane Smith, please stand up."

I think there comes a time when the real us, needs to come forward. We spend a lot of emotional trying to be something we are not, or living into the pigeonhole that others put us into. Yet when that time comes when we finally can look ourselves in the mirror and say, there's the real me what a freedom. A clearer sense of boundaries emerges and we have allow the part of the image of God that we truly represent to be seen.

When we've got the right perspective on what is good and what is not good for us, choices become much easier. And our identity can be much more about the things we choose to do because they are healthy or choose not to do because it isn't who we are, because the real us through God's grace has taken control of us.

Blessings,
Ed