Rediscovering Your True Self

In the opening chapter of Genesis we read one of the most profound statements about the human person: that we are created in the "image and likeness of God." At first glance this may seem perplexing, but when we reflect more deeply it raises several important questions. If we are created in God’s image, why do we struggle so often? Why do we make choices that move us away from the good we know we should pursue?

The reality of the human condition is that although we bear God’s image and likeness, we are not yet perfected in it. We live within the tension between who we truly are meant to be and who we sometimes become through our choices, fears, and desires. Our lives are shaped by both internal forces—such as freedom of will—and external influences that constantly challenge us. The spiritual life, therefore, becomes a journey of rediscovering the person God created us to be.

One passage of Scripture that has always helped me understand this mystery comes from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians:

“May your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”(1 Thessalonians 5:23)

This verse reminds me that the human person is not merely a physical being, but a physical body, a soul, and a spirit. The body is our physical presence in God's created world. For the soul, the Greeks used the term "πνεῦμα" (pneuma), which translates in English to mean "wind" (like a breeze or moving air) and/or "breath" (like the breath of a living being). So, the term soul means something akin to an invisible, life-giving, active force or energy. The human body is alive within this world when this energy is moving within and through the body. St. Paul begins his description of the make-up of the human person with the term "ψυχή" (psyche). To Aristotle and Plato this term meant something akin to the "principle of life". Specifically, Aristotle holds that the human psyche is that part which makes up the ability to "reason". In short, the psyche or spirit is the mind or consciousness that is a part or resides within the pneuma or soul.

With this understanding of the human person being a body, and a soul, and a spirit, the whole person is a trinitarian being created in the image and/or likeness of God. Each of us are not simply biological creatures; we are spiritual beings with the ability to connect more fully through the soul and spirit, which is a part of our body within this physical world. So, our deepest identity is rooted not in what we do or achieve, but in our relationship or connection with God. It is quite interesting that the English term religion is a derivative of the Latin infinitive verb relegare, which means "to re-tie", "to re-bind", and/or "to reconnect."

Yet despite this divine origin, we often experience a sense of separation from God. St. Paul describes this inner conflict in Romans when he writes that sometimes we do the very things we do not wish to do. We recognize the good, yet we still miss the mark.

The ancient philosophers recognized something similar. Aristotle wrote that the ultimate goal of human life is "happiness". Yet his description of the happiness each human being should best pursue, is often not the same "happiness" that most people pursue.

At first human beings seek pleasure—what the Latin tradition terms laetus—the satisfaction that comes from material comforts or immediate gratification. Later we may pursue felix, the happiness that comes from achievement, recognition, or the strengthening of the ego.

But eventually we begin to discover that deeper joy comes from something else entirely. We begin to find fulfillment in doing good for others, what the tradition calls beatitudo. And beyond even this lies the highest form of happiness, sublimitas—a transcendent joy that arises when we rediscover our true identity in God.

The spiritual life is the path that leads us toward this deeper happiness.

The Latin word religio, from which we derive the word religion, comes from the verb relegare, meaning to reconnect. Religion, at its heart, is the process of reconnecting with God.

Prayer, worship, the sacraments, meditation, contemplation, and acts of service all serve this purpose. They remind us that our separation from God is often more perceived than real. Through these practices we slowly awaken to the truth that our lives are already held within the presence of divine love.

But this reconnection requires an inner journey. Spiritual writers often speak about the difference between the false self and the true self. The false self is shaped by ego, fear, pride, and the need for approval. It is the self that reacts defensively when our pride is wounded or when our expectations are not met.

The true self, by contrast, is the self that rests in God. It is the self that recognizes our interconnectedness with others and responds with patience, humility, and love.

Moving from the false self to the true self is rarely a single moment of conversion. It is a lifelong process. We gradually learn to let go of the impulses that pull us away from God and to cultivate the habits that lead us back toward Him.

Prayer plays a central role in this transformation. Through vocal prayer, meditation, and contemplative silence we create space for God’s grace to work within us. In moments of anxiety, pride, fear, or anger, prayer helps us pause long enough to remember who we truly are.

This journey also teaches us something important about how we see other people. As we become more aware of our own struggles with the false self, we begin to realize that others are walking the same path. Each person we encounter is also created in the image of God and is moving, in their own way and at their own pace, toward that deeper identity.

This realization invites compassion. It reminds us to look for the presence of God not only within ourselves but also within those around us.

Some of the early Christian spiritual fathers sometimes describe this transformation as learning to see deeply. To see deeply means to look beyond appearances and recognize the divine presence that underlies all creation. It means seeing possibilities where we once saw division. It means recognizing that the love of God flows through the entire human family.

The hardest part of being human may be the decision to begin this journey at all. Letting go of the false self requires humility and trust. It requires believing that our identity is not something we must create for ourselves but something we receive as a gift from God.

Yet when we begin to accept this truth, we discover a profound freedom. We realize that we are already loved. We realize that our lives have purpose. And we begin to share our gifts more generously with others.

In the end, the spiritual journey is not about becoming someone new. It is about becoming who we have always been.

We are created by God.

We are sustained by God.

And we are called to reflect God's love in the world.

As St. Paul reminds us:

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”(2 Corinthians 12:9)

Even in our weakness, God’s grace continues to guide us. Step by step, prayer by prayer, we are drawn back toward the divine image in which we were created.

And in that rediscovery, we begin to encounter our True Self.