Finding the True Self

The true self is the exact opposite of the false self. The true self is who, in reality, you are and who you are becoming. It is not something you need to construct through a process of self-improvement or deconstruction by means of psychological analysis. It is not an object to be grasped. Nor is it an archetype to be actualized. It is not even some inner, hidden part of you.

Rather, it is your total self as you were created by God, and as you are being redeemed in Christ. It is the image of God what you are - the unique face of God that has been set aside from eternity for you.

We do not find our true self by seeking it. Rather we find it by seeking God. In finding God we find our truest and deepest self. The anthropological question (Who am I?) and the theological question (Who is God?) are fundamentally inseparable. It is by losing our false self in God that we discover our true identity.

There is no true life apart from relationship to God. Therefore there can be no true self apart from this relationship. The foundation of our identity resides in our life-giving relationship with the Source of life. Any identity that exists apart from this relationship is an illusion building up the false self.