Learning to Be You

D. Swanson David

Description

We all want the confidence that comes from living out of our true identity, but how do we get there? We don't magically discover our true selves when we reach our twenties. And some of us spend our entire lives feeling like we are living a lie. We can be torn apart by our duplicity or we can become so comfortable with putting on various personas to suit our situation that we don't even realize we're doing it. But if we are followers and disciples of Christ, our identity is already decided. What we need to learn is how to understand and embrace it.In this honest and penetrating book, David D. Swanson calls readers to take off their masks, discover the true source of their identities, and enjoy the peace and satisfaction that comes from being authentic and transparent to ourselves, our God, and the people who surround us. He gently leads readers from their hiding places to a life of conviction and courage.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2012
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441238498
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2012 by David D. Swanson
Published by Baker Books
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www.bakerbooks.com
Ebook edition created 2012
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means for example, electronic, photocopy, recording without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
ISBN 978-1-4412-3849-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled GNT are from the Good News Translation Second Edition. Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled NKJV are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are from the Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
The internet addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers in this book are accurate at the time of publication. They are provided as a resource. Baker Publishing Group does not endorse them or vouch for their content or permanence.
Published in association with the literary agency of Wolgemuth & Associates, Inc.
To my dad, Don Swanson, who taught me what it means to be a man. Gentle. Giving. Faithful. Steadfast. He’s the best man I know.
To my spiritual father, Bill Dudley, who taught me how to be a spiritual leader and a pastor, how to laugh in the midst of adversity, and how to serve in the midst of crisis.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Acknowledgments 9
Introduction 11
Part 1 First Things First 15
1. An Honest Struggle: Do We Know Who We Really Are? 17
2. A God We Can Know: Getting Acquainted with a God Who Is Nearer Than We Ever Dreamed 31
3. Hide and Seek: Why We Run from Being Known 45
Part 2 Finding Our True Identity 59
4. Why Do I Feel So Empty? How God Aligns Us for the Fullness of Life 61
5. Does My Life Make a Difference? How God Empowers Us to Change His World 79
6. Why Am I Alone? How God’s Presence Answers Our Yearning to Connect 93
7. Why Can’t I Make Sense of My Life? How the Knowledge of God Transforms Our View of the World 109
8. How Can I Get Rid of My Baggage? Finding the Freedom to Let Go 127
9. Why Do Others Always Let Me Down? How God’s Faithfulness Restores Our Confidence 147
10. Why Do I Feel So Bad about Myself? How God’s Love Transforms Our Self–Image 163
Part 3 Learning to Be You Is a Process 183
11. Why Is This Taking So Long? Understanding the Process of Growing in Christ 185
12. Unashamed: Why Living for Christ Is Counter to Our Culture 203
13. To Live Out of Your True Identity, You Have to Die to the Old One: Why a Life Submitted to Christ Is Actually the Life You Want 219
Notes 235
About the Author
Back Cover
Acknowledgments
A s I look back on my life and ministry to this point, it is a sheer act of God’s grace that has brought me here. I acknowledge it is only by his faithfulness, his constant provision, his wise and gentle counsel, and his abiding love that I draw breath each day and have the privilege of serving in the life of his church. Writing this book has been beyond my wildest dreams, and yet again God brought people and experiences together as only he can. I am deeply and humbly grateful to God for this and all his many blessings.
When I wrote my first book, Vital Signs , I learned that the process of getting a book to completion is a collaborative one that involves a significant number of people. A book is hardly the work of an author alone, and through writing this second book, I am even more aware of that and grateful for the many who have helped me along the way.
I am grateful to my wife, Leigh, who is always my first editor and my most honest, caring critic. I would be nowhere with this book, or much of anything else, without her. I am also grateful to my children, John David, Alex, and Kaylee. They fill my life with laughter and joy while always helping me not to take myself too seriously.
I am grateful to Robert and Andrew Wolgemuth for the many hours they have invested in this project and in me. Their unflagging belief in me has been a constant source of encouragement. I am also grateful to the men of the ARK the faithful brothers I am privileged to share life with each week as we seek to follow Christ. Robb, John, Mike, and Dayne are an invaluable source of wisdom, accountability, and joy.
I am grateful to the pastoral leadership team of First Presbyterian Church, Orlando a group of men and women who are so gifted and so capable that it frees me to do the things God has called me to do in ministry. What a joy it has been to work with them, to see God’s hand, and to share our lives together: Dr. Rebecca Bedell, Minister of Worship; Rev. Sam Knight, Associate for Congregational Life; Rev. Donna McClellan, Associate for Prayer and Spiritual Formation; Dr. Case Thorp, Associate for Mission and Evangelism; and Mr. John Watts, Church Business Administrator.
My two assistants, Paula Lindrum and Grace Whitlow, make my life hum. I cannot imagine how I could function without them in their unique roles: Paula with The Well and Grace at First Presbyterian Church. They are not the least bit impressed with me, and they keep me firmly grounded!
Chad Allen and Baker Books have been a huge help as well. From the beginning, Chad has helped me to be a better writer, and while I am probably not the easiest person in the world to work with, his counsel has been welcome and needed.
Finally, I want to thank the saints of First Presbyterian Church, Orlando, who daily allow me the privilege of being their pastor, of living my life out before them, of tripping and falling and getting back up. They are saints who love me graciously and well.
Introduction
I t happened to me again the other day.
I’m on my sofa, mindlessly flipping channels with my remote control, trying to find something edifying to watch on television. I come across a popular talk show and notice a famous actor is the guest. I turn the volume up just in time to hear his long and harrowing journey toward “finding himself.” It’s a term I hear a lot, inside the church and outside the church. People want to “find themselves.” They want to become secure in their identity in the world. For example, when I went to seminary, I was surprised at how many of my fellow students had come in the hope of finding themselves. They were disillusioned with their jobs or experiences, so they left those things behind even very lucrative careers hoping that studying theology would somehow unlock the mystery to their true identity. While I appreciate the desire to study theology, such a motive is not the purpose of going to seminary! Others dabble in New Age religious practice or travel to distant lands on pilgrimage or begin new hobbies or rituals like yoga. Regardless, their motivation is the same: they cannot grasp who they are, so they go looking.
My preaching professor in seminary, Dr. Robert Shelton, used to say, “If you’re going to be a good preacher, you have to keep the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. You have to be a keen observer of life.” I cannot tell you how many times those words have echoed in my head, and I have worked hard to make that my practice.
My observations have led me to conclude that an increasing number of people are on an ill-defined mission to find themselves. By definition, if you have to find yourself, then you are lost. It’s a bit like when Mark Twain boarded a train for a trip north. The porters were quite pleased to have such a famous man aboard, but when they came to his car to punch his ticket, he could not find it. Twain started looking furiously, but to no avail. The porter said, “Sir, it’s fine. I know who you are. You don’t have to find your ticket. Relax and enjoy your trip.” Several hours later, the porter came back through the car only to find Twain still looking for his ticket. Again, he tried to reassure him.
“Sir, you really don’t have to do that. I know who you are. There is no need for you to find that ticket.” With that, Twain stood up and said firmly to the porter, “Listen, young man, I know who I am too. That’s not the problem. The problem is I don’t know where I’m going!”
At times, we don’t know either. We may know our names. We may even know something about our history, but we have no security in where we are or where we are heading. We have become dislocated from ourselves. At least Mark Twain knew his name. I’m assuming most of us at least know that, but we are still on this journey to find ourselves a journey often fraught with missteps and poor choices.
I am continually amazed by the process people use to accomplish this mission. In their quest to find themselves, they are willing to try any and all manner of practice, thought, ideology, and philosophy. They are dining at a buffet of sorts. They try one entrée and then another, all in the hope that one of them will finally satisfy the hunger within. They never find one, so they keep going back, gorging themselves on the false promises of our time. Meditation, Eastern Mysticism, hedonism, kabala, Scientology, objectivism, Buddhism, materialism the list is endless, and they all become religions to people in pursuit of themselves.
Finding yourself is another way of describing this growing spiritual hunger demonstrated in cultures around the world. The more we see e