14 So the trouble is not with the law, for it is spiritual and good. The trouble is with me, for I am all too human, a slave to sin. 15 I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate. – Romans 7:14-15
Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, brought and taught an awareness of spiritual things. Jesus lived and understood the Hebrew Bible and spoke with authority and wisdom that was unparalleled.
This should be understood since Jesus was the personification of God in flesh. Yet what many marveled about was Jesus’ ability to make seemingly complex things simple, and simple things even simpler.
Jesus had insights that led many to believe and understand that he operated on a much higher and deeper spiritual plane. Jesus had the ability to make the unconscious conscious.
All of us have had experiences with people who have said something that has made sense, which we knew but were unable to articulate or express ourselves. That is a mini example of making the unconscious conscious.
The idea of making the unconscious conscious is the basis of psychology and counseling movements. People go to therapists to find out why they do what they do (become aware) and try to change their behavior.
At a certain point, this making of the unconscious conscious is really the idea of someone coming into an awareness of themselves and their situation. At the root of our work as ministers of the gospel, pastoral care givers, counselors, preachers, pastors, Sunday school teachers and Christians, we are called to make the unconscious conscious.
Why do people do what they do even if it’s to their detriment? Why do we make poor financial decisions again and again? Why do we date and marry the wrong people? Why do we have control issues? Why are we narcissistic? Why do we lose our tempers? Why do we believe that people are out to get us even when they aren’t? Why do we do these things, and where does our faith in God fit into these scenarios?
Humans do these things most of the time unconsciously. When we become conscious of the root of our actions and behavior, we can help heal ourselves and others. We must learn to make the unconscious, conscious.
But the work begins, “how do we make the unconscious conscious so that we can live productive, purposeful, fulfilled lives? I don’t have an answer, but I do have a few suggestions.
First, we can be real and share our feelings. This requires vulnerability and honesty. This is very difficult but necessary. But in order to do this we have to learn how to communicate. And you can only learn how to communicate by communicating: sharing your story and being honest about your needs and wants.
Vulnerability is scary, because we don’t want to be rejected, ridiculed or harmed because we have disclosed information to the wrong people. But we have to take the risk, if we want to make the unconscious (unknown) conscious (known).
I want to know why I do what I do. It’s good to know especially as a Christian. It’s important to know our motives and our reasons for being. That’s just one of the many reasons I love Jesus. Jesus gave me focus, a plan, hopes, dreams and a kingdom agenda. Do you know your kingdom agenda? Do you know Jesus?
Secondly, we can make quiet time with God a priority. Many preachers and spiritual directors misinform us by making us believe that reading the Bible and praying are going to solve our problems. They won’t, especially since we read Bible with the wrong purpose and pray selfish prayers. Reading the Bible and praying are self-reflective practices, that’s why sitting down and praying in private for 30 minutes or even an hour is so hard.
Most of us can’t stand to be by/with ourselves for a long period. That’s why developing quiet time with God is difficult. When we become methodical about quiet time with God through Bible reading and praying, God allows us to reflect and be introspective as we read God’s Word.
Bouncing off what we’re reading in the Bible and what we’re experiencing in our lives daily forces us to look at ourselves. The more we do that, the more we learn about ourselves and are able to make the unconscious conscious (self-awareness). When we get good at these practices, we begin to “master ourselves” or as the ancient Egyptians dubbed it, coming into knowledge of self.
The rest of the week, let’s examine ourselves. Continue to pray and read your Bible. The more we do it, the more we become self-aware and the more we are able to make the unconscious, conscious. That’s where our spirituality resides and our growth takes place.
Paul says in Romans 7:21-25: “I have discovered this principle of life – that when I want to do what is right, I inevitably do what is wrong. 22 I love God’s law with all my heart. 23 But there is another power within me that is at war with my mind. This power makes me a slave to the sin that is still within me. 24 Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? 25 Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord. So you see how it is: In my mind I really want to obey God’s law, but because of my sinful nature I am a slave to sin.”
Rev. Carey A. Grady is the senior pastor of Bethel AME Church in Indianapolis. He is a popular blogger and can be contacted at pastorgrady@att.net If you would like to register for his blog “Straight from the Heart” go to www.bethelcathedral.org and register for the e-news.
