Your “made up” self – the 3 lies we tell ourselves.

When we are born we are ejected into a world where we suddenly can be programmed by outside stimulation.  Following the nine months in our mother’s womb we are greeted by a spanking from a doctor, parents, teachers, and a culture of well-meaning people with educational, political, religious and commercial interests ready to impose upon us.

We went from a process of creation to a process of getting taught by those around us until we could begin to teach ourselves. We started making up ideas about ourselves based on the mangled beliefs we had to hold onto. For example, if you were born into a family that taught you to idolize suicide bombers, you would have beliefs quite different from someone who was born into a family of fishermen that believe a dolphin slaughter twice a year is good business.

If these comparisons seem extreme, it’s only to illustrate the point that we are all influenced by our environment and by the information we are taught to consume. We begin to tell ourselves lies as to who we think we are.  Here are 7 lies we tell ourselves.

1: I am defined by “my stuff”.

Even though we are born with nothing and  take nothing with us when we die, the world has taught us to acquire as much stuff as we possibly can while we are here. Many people believe that it’s what you have that gives you value. Always keeping up with the neighbours and constantly chasing after shiny things, becomes an obsession. We think thoughts like, I have more stuff than them so I am more important or I have more power over others because I have more stuff.

I personally know people like this and they are empty. They thrash through life consuming and gorging themselves with stuff. This constant lust for material things creates a false sense of identity and a “made-up self” that says,  I have value because I have more. When their stuff is threatened they pay lawyers to sue their friends and family just to preserve their fractured sense of value and to strip others of their wealth to feel more powerful and important. There is a quote “there are no atheists in a foxhole” and when  you are lying on your deathbed your stuff will not cure you . If you believe you are defined by your stuff, you are telling yourself a lie.

2: I am what I do

Educational systems all define us by our accomplishments. You either pass a test or you fail. You get praise for good marks. You get awards for winning. This means that many of us become losers and failures if we think differently or don’t conform.  If we define ourselves by what we do, when we stop doing what we do we lose our identity and our value. Men who lose their jobs later in life often kill themselves because it has been their “job” or “job title” that has defined who they are as a person. How many times have you heard about the person who just retired and then dropped dead of a heart attack. If you believe you are defined by what you do, you are telling yourself a lie.

3: I am who they think I am

Our self esteem is a collection of beliefs that we have imported through a lens of what others have observed. It’s a false idea that our value is determined by what others choose to think about us. We spend a lot of time trying to win the approval of others and when we don’t receive that approval, we take it personally and modify ourselves to fit what we think other people expect us to be like. Our image of ourselves resides in what we think “they” want us to be like. We are all taught to pursue the approval and validation of those in authority. We’ve been taught to please parents, teachers, pastors, bosses, managers and friends and to value their opinions more than our own. This denies the wisdom that created us and allows other people to have more power over ourselves than we do. This type of thinking edges God out of our lives and allows the world to log onto our personal bio-computer and program us. We become a slave to what people think of us instead of connecting to God and becoming a master over our own thoughts. If you believe you are defined by what other people think of you, you’re telling yourself a lie.

Every morning you wake up and create a new you. The authentic you has been with you all along and it is within you. The mind is an emnity against God which means it is separate and actually hates God. It is not connected to God at all. Don’t let your carnal mind, often referred to as the lizard brain, fool you into believing any of these lies.