THE ID II

“The ego is the false self-born out of fear and defensiveness.” — John O’Donohue

2 Corinthians 5:17
Isaiah 57: 9-10
Romans 6:4

We place ourselves at the center of the universe. God removes us, and takes the spot for Himself. Such is God’s order of the universe. When we understand this, we find our true state of being. Man believes that life starts at birth. God believes that life starts at death. Each day, we attempt to deny the self, the “Id” of our lives, according to Sigmund Freud.

Paul wrote that we have been “raised up with Christ”. He’s actually referring to being raised up on a cross. Indeed, he is saying that we have died with Jesus, and we should seek the higher things, because that’s where Jesus is: at the right hand of God. So Paul exhorts us to set our minds on heavenly things, because that is where our true life is hidden. He also reminds us that when Christ is revealed, our true selves will also be revealed with Him in glory. (Col. 3:1-4)

Can you imagine? Jesus will actually share His glory with us, and the Father will see us as perfect people, created in His image.

So we must walk the tightrope of these two realities: We are fallen, yet we have been made perfect. Each one of us has been remade into an image of our Father God.

One way to think about our “self” is to evaluate whether we are net-givers or net-takers. It has been said that takers eat well, but givers sleep well. Indeed, we were made to be instruments of love. We have been remade as temples of the living God with Jesus Himself residing in our heart. And if God is in our heart, we will live to give real life to others.

When we forfeit our soul, it’s not just one exchange. It is a thousand small exchanges, as we stumble through life. We don’t discover our soul in one exchange, but in a thousand small exchanges of love.

Isn’t that really what all of us desire in the bottom of our hearts? We want to find our authentic life. We don’t want to live other people’s lives, or imitate some sort of man-made value system. No, we want to understand the unique gifts, abilities, experiences, friends, teachers and thoughts of the “unique me”. And this me, the true me, is perfect and hidden with Jesus in the heavenlies.

As Thomas å Kempis wrote, “Embrace the holy timbre,” and we will discover life on another level.

How do we fit into God’s order?
What does it mean to “take up our cross”?
Do we understand our fallen nature? Our heavenly one?

Brad