Know Thyself
This ancient Greek adage, which those who have seen The Matrix will remember was printed on a sign in Latin (nosce te ipsum) when Neo visits the Oracle, represents some of the oldest wisdom known to us; dating back to some of the first philosophers in Ancient Greece. I tend to think its wisdom comes from the context in which it is said; namely, the worldview through which it is filtered depending on the individual doing the pondering.
As with much ancient Greek philosophy, this can be taken and used in a very humanistic manner. To the Christian, however, it can contain a much fuller meaning.
This command meshes with most of what the Scriptures call us to do in being self-aware in how we are approaching one another and how we are thinking about God. It is imperative that as we are confronted with God’s truth, which is largely unfathomable in its completeness, that we understand just what is affecting our perception of it, and how it affects (i.e. transforms) us accordingly. To know yourself, then, is to know exactly what influence you are having on how you handle the truth that is presented to you. How do you process it? What do you allow to get in the way of it? What sort of things do you justify that you know are error and how do you justify them? Why do you seek to justify the things you know are wrong? Well, the ancient texts of the Holy Scriptures teach that we are only ever struggling against our own sinful nature which singularly defines why we do the things we ought not to do, and do not do the things we ought to do. No knowledge or self-awareness is going to thwart this, but nevertheless, I can’t help but think that the process is made that much easier when you stop to think about exactly what it is you are trying to accomplish when you bury God’s truth and seek to justify your own sin.
I am continuously amazed at my own ability to dress things up in spite of the fact that I know who I am and why. I know my limitations. I know how much I can handle. And yet, I too often push the envelope. Come on, you know what I’m talking about. You know you do it. You know what you can and can not handle yet you give yourself the same crap even though you know you’ll end up vomiting it up in the end. Know thyself. Ah, that we would but live by such a simple understanding of ourselves. You know who and what you are. You know why. Yet you still choose to be something less. This, is nothing short of sinful nature. You know the good you ought to do, but yet you deny it for the sake of your own ego, which seems, at times, to supersede truth. We are so backwards in our thinking. We are in denial of the pain we are causing ourselves.
Thank God for grace! Know thyself. Know what thou art capable of. And know when to stop.
God grant us grace to know ourselves well enough to know that we must trust in Thee without constraint.
Peace…