Self-Presentation, Part 1

S

(Romans 12:1) I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your reasonable worship (NRSV).

O

Presenting one's body to God is a necessary task. Paul, having met Jesus, begged the Romans to make this intentional presentation. As a sacrifice, it means giving up something costly (my freedom to serve myself) for the benefit of something far better (serving God). As an act of reasonable faith, it means completely trusting Jesus that His sacrifice made us holy (purely God's) and acceptable (fully pleasing) to God. By dedicating ourselves back to God, we gain a reliable reference point for health ... God's image.

A (Personal)

Yielding myself wholly to God is very practical. It's an act of faith that answers my existential needs--I know who I am and where I'm going with my life. My starting and ending point is simply abiding in Christ. Like Paul, though lost at sea while traveling to Rome, was existentially secure by anchoring his hope and direction in Christ (Acts 27:23-25). Like him, I know that (1) I belong to God, (2) I serve God, and (3) I trust God.

A (Psychological)

This marks Christianity's radical departure from many psychological perspectives. Newer models of therapy reject the old medical model of expertism in favor of the privatization of morality.Watzlawick (Becvar & Becvar, Family Therapy: A Systemic Integration, 2003, p.198) asserts that each of us punctuates reality differently (i.e., our behavioral sequences are understood and meanings assigned relative to our private epistemologies). Similarly, Satir practiced family therapy with these four assumptions: (1) the natural movement of all individuals is toward positive growth and development; (2) all individuals possess all the resources necessary for positive growth and development; (3) mutual influence and shared responsibility (i.e., everyone and everything is impacted by, and impacts, everyone and everything else); and (4) therapy is a process involving interaction among clients and between clients and therapist (p. 201). In my opinion, these clinical assumptions--despite their apparent validity and practicality--are insufficient for existential guidance. Using Paul's shipwreck metaphor, it's like being lost at sea with a powerful ship but without a compass and map. Christ is the only universal and unfailing compass, map, and harbor.

P

Lord, I dedicate my body to You as a living sacrifice. To the extent that I'm able to do it, I offer myself with full integrity--forgiven of the past, faithful to You in the present, and free to be excited about an eternal future with You. Only in You is life abundant (John 10:10; 11:25). Thank You!

Love vs. Truth

S

(1 Peter 1:22) Now that you have purified your souls by your obedience to the truth through the Spirit so that you have a genuine mutual love, love one another deeply [constantly] from a pure heart (NRSV).

O

Our souls [psuche] are that immaterial, psychological part of our being that we have in common with animals--the seat of our sensations, appetites, and passions. It's corrupted (impure), but God can progressively heal it through His Spirit's communion with ours. (Only people, however, have a spirit [pneuma] which can come alive to commune with God.) Peter defines purification as becoming holy--fully devoted to God. Peter explains that we purify our souls by obeying truth (which He defines as God's Word).

A (Personal)

So how do we know we walk in the reality of truth? What test may I apply so I know that I am purified in body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23)? I'm glad Peter was so wonderfully clear. If I have a genuine, reciprocal, and continuous love for people, I know I have been shaped by the realities of God's Word and have been fully dedicated to Him (1 John 3:18,19).

A (Psychological)

The congruency or authenticity of a person's life is a key component of psychological assessments. In communication assessments, Virginia Satir believed one's looks, feelings, tone of voice, and body language should congruently (purely) reflect the same message. As a person-centered therapist, Carl Roger asserts, "the core of psychological maladjustment is the incongruity between the organism's total experience and what is accurately symbolized as part of the self-concept. The incongruence between self and experience is the basic estrangement in human beings. [Like] a house divided against itself [Matthew 12:25] ... psychopathology reflects a divided personality, with the tensions, defenses, and inadequate functioning that accompany a lack of wholeness" (Prochaska and Norcross. 2003. p. 144).

I disagree, however, with Rogerian unconditional positive regard toward clients. Prochaska and Norcross explain that, according to Existentialist and Gestalt therapists (pp. 124, 192), in order to be authentic (pure, congruent), the therapist can respond with positive regard only toward honesty and authenticity but never toward lying and pathology. Psychology struggles, therefore, in this double bind of recognizing the struggle and necessity of living in congruently with reality (truth) while also recognizing the struggle and necessity of sharing life and values congruently with others (love). Once again, Scripture (through this letter of Peter's) provides a realistic and beneficial means of doing that. God's Word is that objective Truth to the extent that we understand it from God's perspective rather than our individualistic human interpretations. The more consistently we align with it, then the more we will also be able to consistently experience a shared unconditional positive regard (love) for others. Our congruent, realistic integration of God's Truth with God's Love, therefore, answers this psychological dilemma.

P

Lord, nothing could be more fun! I've discovered that I'm healthiest and happiest when I'm truly and deeply loving people--especially those hard-to-love people in my life. And it is certainly fun to be loved by people, tool Thank You for bringing us into Your life so we can know and enjoy Your love!