Becoming Your Higher Self

Ever feel as if you’re supposed to be more than who you are? You know, that feeling deep inside where you have a knowing and understanding of who you’re meant to be? Ever look in the mirror and have no idea who is gazing back at you because that just can’t be you? And I’m not talking about your looks, your smile, your acne, that scar, that bad tan, your double chin, or that mole on your nose. You learn to love your external self with the love you have for who you are inside. What I’m talking about is the person you see in your eyes. Ever not recognize yourself, because there’s something about you that says…this isn’t me?

I recognized it myself while in a state of depression. Me and my sister used to laugh about my stories of walking into the bathroom, turning on the light, looking into the mirror and saying, “You’re a monster.” Then I’d flick the light off and walk away in my dingy pink robe with sagging shoulders, arms hanging, and spirit just dragging behind.

It had taken some time for me to get that low. I just knew that God meant more for me. The problem was that without his guidance, I was doing anything to get to what He had for me and began to lose myself. I guess I could say I got lost in the sauce, only the sauce was moldy and expired. Even then, I knew I was supposed to be more, but because I couldn’t see it, I began to experience doubt, and that doubt eventually turned into disbelief.

It was insane to lose that belief, because I’d had it since I was a kid. Even as a nine-year-old girl, believing that I had more in store for me was what kept me going. It was what made me work so hard at everything. I truly believed that I would succeed in my endeavors. I believed in hard work, discipline, practice, and self-confidence. I had my insecurities, but my beliefs drowned them out for the most part. It was just that when things weren’t going my way, I was emotionally driven with absolutely no direction. I didn’t know where I was going anymore, and I had no idea how to get back.

I was completely and utterly lost.

If you’ve ever been there, I get it.

The worst part is knowing how everyone watching saw how much you believed in yourself, and now you’re watching them lose faith alongside you. Some may say, “Oh, they’re not who they thought they were.” Okay, lets get something straight before I move on. Half the time that people are pushing themselves towards something without Christ, their usually driven to prove themselves to other people. People who strive to prove themselves generally have an insecurity around inadequacy, therefore, they seek to prove that they could accomplish their goal as literal proof of adequacy.

Proof says that they were meant to be born, that they weren’t a mistake, they aren’t that screw up, everyone was wrong about them, they are useful, their input does matter, they aren’t stupid, they aren’t weak, they are needed, and so forth. So, when someone says you aren’t who you thought you were, what’s really being said is that you haven’t yet become who they thought you would be by this point in time. Because if it were really you who was completely confident in who you were, you wouldn’t have felt the need to prove it. Without Christ, we only ever have an inkling that we’re more than what we are, but without the knowledge to move by faith and not by sight, we strive to attain proof.

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” –2 Corinthians 5:7 CSB

You are exactly who you thought you were, given we’re speaking about a greater version of you. Every person born on this earth is special by the simple fact that they were born. God has a plan for every one of us, but it can take us a minute to understand that He wants us to allow Him to guide our steps. Having a deep knowing causes many of us to begin our walks with no guidance from Him, so it’s important to understand that God is holding the map as we adventure through our journeys. Otherwise, we’d just keep getting lost.

In every journey, there are levels to it. We have challenges and obstacles that should continue getting harder as we move forward. Only by then, those challenges will be easier to handle with a sound mind and spirit. How does this have anything to do with our higher selves? Well, as we journey through our lives, as we face challenges, losses, wins, periods of waiting, spiritual battles, serving and loving our neighbors, humbling ourselves, learning self-control, and so forth, we are developing and growing inwardly. Sure, our muscles may look bigger and stronger, but the real growth is on the inside.

For example, you’re on a weight loss journey. My advice to you would be not to come to the gym for weight loss, but for internal change. Measure your consistency, your self-control around food, sleep, alcohol, partying, and what you choose on the menu when you go out to eat for dinner. Work at changing your habits and build your strength for tougher workouts. Push yourself harder when you think about quitting. Get passed the pain in your body and let your spirit carry you through the battle. Finally, take a look in the mirror after three weeks to three months and measure the difference. Your body changed, because your mind and spirit endured. You were patient with your progress and didn’t cut corners. Better yet, you became a version of yourself that didn’t give up. You measured your changes, adjusted, tried again, and again, and again, and now you look exactly how you feel. GREAT!

This is how it works in the spirit as well. Only we’re on a journey, following the path that God rolled out for us. He gives us gifts, and a hint of a hint of who we’re supposed to be so that we’d turn to Him for guidance. And once we begin, we can finally start walking towards the version of ourselves we always knew we were. Only now, we don’t have the desire to prove it. We’re just rolling with punches, going with the flow, and following His lead. God will have obstacles to grow us, and He'll have times when He gives us rest. There will even be times when He makes us wait, building our faith in Him, while He sets things in place on His end.

It took Gods guidance to reinstate the belief that I was more. Ever hear people speak on finding their identity in Christ? Because that’s what I’m talking about. You first discover that you are a child of God, but then there’s the role you play in His kingdom. Some roles are permanent, and some roles have your doing one thing after another. It doesn’t make sense, but somehow, it always works out. We have different journeys, so there’s no telling what He’ll want you to do. This is why you stay focused on the kingdom and avoid getting attached to anything that could be taken away. This doesn’t mean don’t love whatever it is, but keep God before everything, because we aren’t guaranteed to keep anything that we can touch and see.

Only thing that can’t be taken away from us is God himself. Besides, whatever we lose is only God making room for what He has in store for us. So, remember to never be so attached that you can’t let it go. This can be a career, a house, a car, a habit, a person, a lifestyle, etc. You get it.

And one more fun fact. For those struggling with the thought that there’s something more for you but you just can’t get to it, everything God has for you is already yours. He just hasn’t released it, because you are not yet equipped to hold it, maintain it, and grow it.

“Now I say that as long as the heir is a child, he differs in no way from a slave, though he is the owner of everything. Instead, he is under guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. In the same way we also, when we were children, were in slavery under the elements of the world.” –Galatians 4:1-3 CSB

For the most part, God wants us to produce fruits of the Holy Spirit by walking in the spirit. Having ripe juicy fruit shows God that He can entrust us with more. These are produced by our works and practiced daily to be strengthened. Praying to God will only make us stronger. In Galatians 5, verse 22-23 it says: “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” For some of us, certain fruits come somewhat easily, but then there are others that we may struggle with. Wouldn’t it be funny that the hardest fruit to grow is the one God is waiting on you to develop to take you to the next step!? I mean, maybe it’s not funny, but all you can do is laugh, because what now?

And let’s not pretend that these fruits are just easy to produce. Ever stand behind an old lady in line and can’t help but roll your eyes and almost feel anxious for her to finish counting ninety cents in nickels and dimes? Well, just because you had to wait doesn’t make you patient. It’s how you waited. Did you have an understanding that she was an elderly woman and would take a little longer, or did you tap your foot loud enough for her and the entire line to hear? Did you huff and puff? Were your eyes bulging out of your face? How you reacted would reflect whether or not you have the fruit of patience.

What about peace? Do you feel chaotic every time something doesn’t go your way? Do you have faith that everything will work out no matter what direction the situation turns? Are you relying on God to handle it, or are you driving yourself mad to control everything? How you react would be a reflection of whether or not you have the fruit of peace.

It works this way for all the fruits, and where you are lacking, you can ask God to strengthen. Only thing is, the way He tends to strengthen His children is through trials and tribulations, so remember to rely on Him, otherwise you won’t have much peace, and peace will be needed. Having the peace of God means having faith in him. Having faith can help develop joy. Having joy makes it easier to be kind. Being kind makes it easier to be good and gentle. If you’re being gentle, then you are likely to have a sense of self-control, and with self-control, you can practice patience. There isn’t an exact order to develop the fruits, but can you see how they all work together? Cool right?

I know it can feel as if you’re inadequate because you haven’t reached that higher version of yourself yet, but please understand, you are already who God made you. It just takes growth to become that person. You simply haven’t stepped into that role yet, and the only person stopping you, is you. Remember that all things are possible through the Lord. Meaning, there are no limitations on your walk, so long as you’re walking with Him. Humble yourself and remember that He is God. You are only trapped by human limitations when you allow yourself to be. The obstacles set aren’t meant to stop you, but to grow you. Because you have freedom of choice, only you can decided whether or not you’ll get through them. God doesn’t make anything impossible for us. As a matter of fact, our obstacles are placed at the level of which He is confident we will succeed, and if He is confident, then why aren’t we? Maybe He’s reminding us to depend on Him, and to pray for His help and guidance?

“I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” –Philippians 4:13 CSB

God created us to evolve, so once you see where you’ve grown, please do not stop there. I’m not saying to strive, but I am saying to continue your walk with God to the very end. Your journey on this earth only stops when you’re physically dead. Then there’s that whole part about living in eternity with Him in heaven, but we’ll talk about that in another blog post.

I hope that this article helped reignite your beliefs in yourself and in God. If you’re in a place where you feel like everything is hopeless, remember that Jesus is the God of Hope. You don’t have to stay the version that you are if you don’t want to. You aren’t trapped! No matter where you are, God can knock those walls down. He has a plan for you, but it’ll take you to believe it and to move towards Him. Forget what anyone has said to you — you don’t have to prove anything to them. All they were doing was pushing their own insecurities onto you. That’s how they think! That was what Satan convinced them! You don’t have to take that on. Just listen to what God says about you!

“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.” –Matthew 5:14 CSB

If you are searching for your higher self and are new to the faith or just curious about it, start with a prayer, and open your heart to Jesus Christ. Don’t stress yourself out with giving some professional prayer either. Just talk to Him. Tell Him your fears, ask Him for growth, confess your sins, cry out to Him if you need to, praise Him, dance, sing, holler Hallelujah! Pour your whole heart out! He will not judge you! Accept Him as your Lord and Savior!

Just…open up to Him.

You got this.

He kept you.

If you’re still feeling shy about it, then try this prayer: “Lord Jesus, I’m a sinner. I believe You died for my sins so I could be forgiven. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. Thank You for coming into my life. Amen.”

Now, let the journey begin.

A few tips to get started:

1. Prayer, prayer, PRAYER.

2. Take care of your health.

3. Find a church community. If you can’t, pray for healthy community and wait for God.

4. Get a bible, or download the Bible App. I recommend The Message Bible for beginners.

5. Practice living against sin. Yes, we are sinners, but there is a such thing as living in sin. Remember to rely on Gods strength for this battle. Satan will not be happy to lose you, and his goal will be to win you back.

6. Clean yourself up to the best of your ability if you look a hot mess. Clean your space, wash your hair, change them dirty clothes, shower, put some lotion on, and brush your teeth! You represent God now. And I know your higher version doesn’t look like some dust bunny.

7. Give to others when you can. It is better to give than to receive. This doesn’t have to be money or anything tangible. Patience and kindness are examples of things that can be given.

8. Remember to love yourself, forgive yourself, & to forgive others.

9. Last but not least, let it all go, and give it to God. Just release, breathe, and pray.

Please keep in mind that everyone’s journey looks different, but if you want to start with how you feel, these tips may be just for you!