Self-knowledge (the primary form [see Note below]), a
meditation…
Note:
There are, essentially, two kinds of self-knowledge:
1/The Primary Form, which I
discuss in this mediation.
And...
2/The Secondary Form, with has to
do with how well a person understands his [or her] unique (as a
God-Imager) glory, gifts, calling, personality, life-skills, longings, etc.
It’s been said that the
highest form of human knowledge is self-knowledge. I both agree with and disagree with that
statement. My disagreement lies, mostly,
with the stopping of the argument at the general (and exquisitely broad)
category of “self-knowledge.”
To begin, what is
self-knowledge? Is it knowledge? Certainly.
Knowledge about oneself? Most
assuredly. But it’s more—MUCH MORE!!—than
just knowledge about oneself.
Self-knowledge is knowledge about oneself that’s truly “lived” and
“experienced.” In a word, self-knowledge
is “wisdom;” and it’s real (that is, it’s based in reality) and not abstract [considered
apart from concrete existence; not applied or practical; theoretical; difficult
to understand; abstruse]. Wisdom is knowledge of oneself (and of why
one exists [which is rooted in belief]) lived out congruently and concretely—and lived out
well [this is also the definition of goodness].
You say you know how to make
your bed. Well… that’s all fine and
good. The question I have for you is
this: After getting out of bed each
morning, do you actually make it? And
how well do you make it? And… do you
know why you make it? and why you make it the way you do? Knowing something, or knowing how to do
something, is meaningless unless you actually do it. Wisdom is doing well—from the times, spaces,
and places of genuine wholeheartedness, weightiness-of-identity,
integratedness-of-belief, and congruency-of-personhood—something you already
know how to do, know why you do it, and know why you do it the way you do.
So, back to my original
claim…
Yes, I believe that the
highest form of human knowledge is self-knowledge (that is, wisdom [being
good]) that’s lived out consciously. More than that, though, I believe that the
highest—or primary—form of human wisdom (that is, self-knowledge) is to know
and experience oneself [I define this as active—putting-to-flight—experiential
belief]…
1/Known thoroughly by The
Trinity.
2/Loved through and through
by The Trinity.
3/Forgiven and washed
eternally by The Trinity.
And…
4/Breathed and uttered into
unending existence by The Trinity.
This kind of human
knowledge—this wisdom of the weightiness-of-identity, the integratedness-of-belief,
and the congruency-of-personhood that’s divinely-imparted by God—can be
received and experienced only as you, the creature [The
Generated One], turn toward the Life,
Light, and Love, and toward the Glory, Goodness, and Gladness, of Your Creator
[Your
Generator]. For it is through this experiential
knowledge—this Divine wisdom that arises from experiential belief—that you can
begin to know and experience God as…
1/The Eternal Knowing One, Who Knows You
Thoroughly.
2/The Eternal Loving One, Who Loves You Through
and Through.
3/The Eternal Forgiving One, Who Forgives and Washes You Eternally of Your Wrongdoings and Puts
Away—Continually and Continuously, without End—the Isolating Guilt, Shame, and
Infirmities that Sprout up “Naturally and Supernaturally” from the Dead Stem
Cells of Your Wrongdoings.
And…
4/The Eternal Living One, Who Breathes and Utters
You into Unending (that is, Eternal) Existence as well as Enduring Health,
Uprightness, Vitality, Versatility, and Ebullience.
There is, in my estimation,
no higher form of human knowledge than that of possessing this particular
strain of holy, God-breathed wisdom: The
tangible, experiential, and existential self-knowledge of knowing yourself
known thoroughly; loved through and through; forgiven and washed eternally; and
breathed and uttered into unending existence by The Trinity.
Many will argue that knowing
and doing God’s will is the highest form of human knowledge. I consider that a statement worthy of
significant contemplation. My current
responses to that statement, arising out of my extended contemplation of it,
are as follows: What is the ultimate
will of God for any and all of us? To
let ourselves be loved by God the way He wants?
Absolutely. To love God back
eternally? Certainly. To love ourselves eternally? Most assuredly. And then, to love eternally those around us
in the very same ways in which we love ourselves? Without a doubt. In fact, it’s all the above [see Mt
12:28-34]. The will of God, then, for all of us, is, in
a phrase, “To be and become Eternal Love Just Like Lovingkindness Himself.” Juxtaposing this fruit of God’s Grace with
what Jesus taught in Lk 7:36-50, the ability “to love much”—to be like God, who
is Lovingkindness by Self-definition—grows in the fertile soils of “our knowing
ourselves (through active—putting-to-flight—experiential belief) lovingly
forgiven of much by God.” It is
Spirit-inspired wisdom, then, that enables us to be and become like God.
One could then argue, “Well, looking at
things in that manner, perhaps being and becoming Love Like God is the
highest form of human knowledge.” I
consider that, also, a statement worthy of significant contemplation. My current responses to that are as follows: Because God is infinite in His Beingness, we
will always be in a state of being and becoming like Him. Because God promised we’d one day be like
Him, and (paradoxically) because it will take all eternity to be like Him, He’s
gifted us with eternal life so that we can experience progressively the
ever-increasing, never-ending fulfillment of that promise. Accordingly, wisdom—the godly wisdom of
active, concrete [real, the polar opposite of that which is abstract], experiential belief—is the fertile soil in which
The Trinity-breathed, Trinity-ordained love-fruit of being like God grows.
And, therein, lies my point in all this: The highest form of human knowledge—the most
fertile soils for our growth—is to know ourselves, through active, experiential
belief, known thoroughly; loved through and through; forgiven and washed
eternally; and breathed and uttered into unending existence by The Trinity. Knowing—experientially and
existentially—God’s life-giving knowledge of and love for us in this way is
what enables us to be and become (ever-increasingly) Eternal Love Just Like
Lovingkindness Himself. The truly
wise man [or woman],
then, is the one who allows God to love him in all the ways in which He (that
is, God) wants to. In a manner, loving
God, loving ourselves, loving those around us, and even loving the whole of the
created order, is the inevitable, ever-fruiting, ever-ripening response created
in us by experiencing ourselves known, loved, sustained, embraced, forgiven,
welcomed, desired, and invited (into intimate relationships) eternally by
God.
God’s love is the most powerful
force in all creation. Allowing
ourselves (that is, actively believing ourselves) to be loved by Him is all
about immersing ourselves in Him-already-eternally-and-lovingly-immersed-in-us-and-in-those-around-us. My friends, this on-going, immersive
experience is the highest form of ever-increasing self-knowledge a human being
can experience.
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