KNOWING YOURSELF
© Rosemary Bardsley 2009,2014
INTRODUCTION
Knowing Yourself begins with three lessons focused on what the Bible teaches about you:
Created in God’s image
A sinner
What you now are ‘in Christ’
It then takes you on a detailed personal examination of you as an individual. The specific understanding of self gained from this examination then forms a basis for expressing personal spirituality in the context of the church and its mission.
We are not here thinking of introspection, but about understanding who we are as an individual, our unique S.H.A.P.E. –
- Our Spiritual gifts
- Our Heart/passion
- Our Abilities
- Our Personality
- Our Experiences
We also look at how our unique SHAPE can be negatively impacted and seriously disturbed by the tyranny of unrealistic perceptions and expectations [both others’ and our own], so that instead of maximizing our unique potential it is short-circuited or stunted, and we fail to live and serve in God’s kingdom as the real person God made us to be.
As you live and serve in your local church be aware of how your actions and reactions are being determined by your S.H.A.P.E. Take note of expressions of your S.H.A.P.E. that tend to destroy or diminish others rather than building others up. Talk with your Mentor or Pastor to identify how you can choose more appropriate behaviours.