Out of the Shadows and Into the Sunlight

Wednesday Wisdom: 

My husband I were talking this morning about the notion of being true to ourselves, and we both remembered that my father often talked to us about how destructive self-criticism can be. It can prey on us, and move us away from God, filling our hearts and minds with self-doubt.

Self-criticism is surely a great source of suffering in the world. We look around, seduced by images and stories fed to us on the evening news and social media, and then we measure ourselves against those images and see our failings, our deficiencies, our short-comings. At that point, we are in the  grip, in what Ignatius of Loyola might describe as ‘desolation.’

Turning towards God

It is our spiritual work, therefore, to be continually turning toward the love and generosity of the Divine spirit from which we have all been created. We must make this our daily commitment. I do this through a commitment to prayer, to allowing myself to play and dance, and by enjoying the love and companionship of my husband, family and friends. How might you do this?

We see what we are not; but God sees what we ARE.

We meet God by being our true selves; by doing what we love to do, whether that’s writing, painting, cooking, dancing, looking after our family and loved ones, working hard, or exercising; by doing whatever it is that takes us out of the shadows and into the sunlight.

Delight can be a pathway to God.

This month, I’ve had the great privilege of  staying at a friend’s house on the Big Island of Hawaii. Here, with the aqua-blue water, the bright flowers, and the beautiful sun, I have been experiencing delight, while at the same time tangling with my demons of self-criticism and self-doubt.

This week, if you’re feeling the tug of self-criticism or self-doubt in any way, I invite you to re-commit to doing what you love in a spirit of delight and self-acceptance.