The Real Self

“The flesh is our external self, our false self. The “spirit” is our real self, our inmost being united to God in Christ.” – Thomas Merton

Sometimes it can be very hard for me to remember that no part of my physical body right now has anything to do with who I really am. I know a lot of people struggle with self-esteem and self-image problems. America is obsessed with the flesh. America is obsessed with external beauty and the things of this world. Girls all across the country struggle with eating disorders and guys across the country become obsessed with working out in order to look better for the ladies. Americans, Christians included, are way too often fleshly focused. The flesh, our physical self is our false self. That is not who we really are. We are defined as people through our spirit and our connection with Jesus. The most real and only real aspect of a human being is their unity with Christ Jesus. The road to holiness can only be found by being true to who we are as Christians. There is no reality in our flesh. We are defined by who we are in Christ and nothing else. Not our clothes, not our jewelry, not our haircut, and not our bodies. Your unity with Christ defines who you are.