Self Discovery Part (1 of 3)

Date of original writing: Tuesday June 21, 2005

I want to tell you about one of the greatest discoveries and accomplishments in this world. You may ask yourself...Even greater than wealth, or my job? Yes. The answer is yes. Far beyond ANY material gain, or social status lies one of our greatest needs. What is this need? Why, the discovery of self, of course. Sounds simple, right? To some, it’s the most difficult thing in the world to do. There is a reason for that. The reason is because most people are afraid of being themselves. Most people don’t want to discover who they are, because they are worried about what people will say about them. Even though we don’t think this directly, in our subconscious minds-our hearts, we know that we do not want to stand out and look awkward to our friends and those around us.

Well, who is to blame for this standard of thinking? We are of course, but not entirely. It’s every where! Motion pictures depict you as a “loner” or “un cool” or “strange” when you aren’t apart of the ‘in crowd’. This is independent of age group, by the way; This applies to everyone. But let’s try to analyze what the ‘in crowd’ could really represent. It’s really nothing more than a collection of people, who are similar in their way of thinking on some level, and their money, power or beauty speaks for them. Popularity is their greatest asset; Their greatest achievement, but also their continuous pursuit. It’s mostly about who has what, or who did what or what someone is trying to do, and then your goal is to outdo them.

Yes, I know, I make it sound so “plastic”. You may be thinking to yourself, “That’s not the way I think! Just because I’m popular doesn’t mean I am a terrible person!” You’re absolutely right. You’re not a terrible person, but if your primary goal in life is to be defined and accepted by a particular group of people, you are just somewhat unsure about what is really important in life. Life should not be the pursuit of popularity. Instead, as I heard Dr. Miles Munroe say, “Life’s greatest pursuit is Truth.” That’s Truth with a capital “T”. Not the truth as a friend or family member sees it, but Truth from God.

Discovering our true selves automatically sets us apart. Automatically takes us out of the ‘mediocrity boat’. This is because when we discover our true selves, we realize that we all have separate purposes in life. God knew even before He put us all on earth, why we were born. Sounds strange, but it is very True. If we continue to remain mediocre, and not discover our True selves, we can’t discover God’s plan for our lives. You may say, “I’m happy the way I am.” Or “I’ve been this way all my life. It’s my nature.” All of which are true to some extent. But what is happiness? It comes from the word ‘happening.’ So happiness is based on events that ‘happen’ or takes place. We become glad by it. So then, what happens when something ‘happens’ that’s not necessarily a good thing? Then we become sad, or hurt, which is totally normal. But it’s what we do about it, or how fast we recover that is questionable.