The Gift of Being Yourself

I've been reading a series of books by David G. Benner. The one I just finished is entitled, "The Gift of Being Yourself." The other two are "Surrender to Love" and "Desiring God's Will." He really causes you to take a deeper look at your relationship with God. I've enjoyed them very much and they are among those that I know I will want to read again. Here are some quotes from the book:

“Moving truths such as ‘God loves me’ from our head to our heart is often difficult. It is possible, but only as we journey with others. The God who is Divine community is known only in human community. Deep knowing of perfect love, just like deep knowing of ourselves, demands that we be in relationships of spiritual friendship. No one should ever expect to make the journey alone.”

“The false self is the tragic results of trying to steal something from God that we did not have to steal. Had we dared to trust God’s goodness, we would have discovered that everything we could ever most deeply long for would be ours in God. Trying to gain more than the everything God offers, we end up with less than nothing. Rejecting God, we end up with a nest of lies and illusions. Displacing God, we become a god unto our self. We become a false self.”

“My compulsive pursuit of accomplishments and the respect of people who are important to me suffocates the life of my true self. It binds and inhibits my growth and restricts my freedom. It is important for me to remember that I am a human being, not a human doing. My worth lies in who I am, not what I can do or how I am seen by others. This is the truth of my existence.”

One of these will probably end up in my August newsletter, so I'll apologize now for the repetition. I'm reading the last book now, "Desiring God's Will." I also have another by him, "Sacred Companions" that I will probably read next.