Of such a
thing we are deathly afraid,
But
opportune time invites exploration,
The beast
within reveals how we are made,
And highlights a way to reach our
destination.
***
Each of us, perhaps, has a beast
within that is very much repressed by our conscious and unconscious competence.
We have learned, as we grew up, and continue to grow in maturity, to harness
this beast. But every now and again it raises its ugly head.
Such ugliness, however, may be an
important clue in our exploration of self.
A total willingness to venture
within, especially within the protected Christian framework, or any other
framework of belief that insulates, is blessed by God. The simple warrant of
seeking to know oneself, exploring honestly and truthfully, is a magnificent
concept; perhaps the very idea of life.
Has not everyone got a little
nastiness, a little evil, in them? Just because we repress such evil, often
containing it poorly because our awareness is lacking, doesn’t mean it won’t
rear its ugly head somehow at the least digestible moment.
And perhaps the key point is that
God views this beast within us much differently than we do. God isn’t the one
inflicting shame on us. God just wants us to understand the beast and to work
in the context of it, accepting our bestial, primal urges.
The Opportunity
For Openness
Why would we not want to be honest
with ourselves? Why do we choose to deny important, though little-known,
aspects of ourselves? To know that God approves of every part of us must surely help. If God
has forgiven us, we are forgiven without condition.
So, there is an opportunity for
openness with ourselves. When we present in childlike vulnerability to learn,
God sponsors our growth.
Upon any of our weaknesses,
including our anger or propensity for resentment or complaint, is the fleeting
presence of the beast within as it rises, to give us a glimpse of what lies
within, so we can know it.
Knowing The Weakness In Order To
Strengthen It
To strengthen or to cater for our
weaknesses must surely be our goal.
It’s not as if what we don’t know
won’t hurt us. Quite the opposite is true. If we know we are given to sexual
immorality or addiction or anger or resentment or anxiousness, hiding from the
fact will do us no good. Being aware is being armed.
When we know our weaknesses we can
compensate for them, importantly by ways, first, of acknowledgement and acceptance. What role have we in rejecting what God has
already accepted? There is no rejectable part of us.
***
When we can accept the beast
within, and don’t look to conquer it, we and the beast can live at harmony
before God. A sinner and their God: a holy force for good.
© 2012 S. J. Wickham.
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