The Sacred Enneagram

Another driver that contributes to the disconnect with our True Self is the way we pursue happiness

Nouwen suggested we all find ourselves bouncing around three very human lies that we believe about our identity: I am what I have, I am what I do, and I am what other people say or think about me

Overidentifying with our success or failure, allowing the fragments of our identity to lay claim to the whole, and falling into the addictive loop of our mental and emotional preoccupations keep us stuck

But when we equate our dignity with the sum value of the fortification of stories we tell about our identity, we create a no-win scenario that will always lead to disillusionment

While identity must not be confused with dignity, dignity in a Christian view assumes

If we can start with the grace of resting in our dignity, then the truth of our identity flows forward

This is the starting point for drawing forward our sense of dignity, the intrinsic value that is ascribed not earned, based on our essence in reflecting a good and loving God

lies we tell ourselves about our identities

From this starting point we can begin an honest interrogation of the depths of our identity, of who we really are. When we accept our inherent beauty, we find the courage to examine what makes us beautiful—to honestly encounter both the good and the bad, the shadow and the light

Tragically, we don’t know who we are or what we look like. And often, it takes an unlikely “other” to remind us what’s true—you’re beautiful