Becoming Ourselves

“Deny yourself, take up your cross daily, and follow me.” - Jesus in Luke 9:23

So many times we mix up what it means to become a follower of Jesus. Here’s one Christians’ perspective:

Somehow I thought I was supposed to get rid of everything about myself in order to follow Jesus. You know… all of Him and none of me. I knew the teachings about “dying to myself” and I would try to surrender all the parts of me… over and over and over. I even had the idea that my ultimate destiny was to become someone different. Yet there was always something pushing through the ground of my very being, trying to make itself known. (Marilyn Vancil, Self to Lose Self to Find)

But what if denying ourselves actually just means denying our tendency to pretend we are other than we are? What if it means abandoning the image that we have it all together? What if it is ultimately about trusting God more than ourselves - truly trusting that we are God’s beloved and that our primary call is to become who God says we are.

Take some time to meditate on these wise words today:

Some of us will wear ourselves out trying to change ourselves before we realize it is not about fixing; it is about letting go- letting go of old patterns that no longer serve us… All we stand to lose is the false self- the adaptive behaviors that are ultimately in opposition to the life of love and trust and being led by God that our hearts long for. 

• Ruth Haley Barton, Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership