What (Not Who) Do You Think You Are?

Last updated on: May 17, 2017 at 2:24 pm by Debra Landwehr Engle

What (Not Who) Do You Think You Are? 2017-05-17T14:24:27-05:00 Debra Landwehr Engle

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I’ve recently been teaching an online program based on A Course in Miracles, and I want to share the first lesson because it’s so central to the way we experience our lives.

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It introduces the principle of Self love, because the quality of all your relationships depends on the quality of the relationship you have with yourself.

Here’s a quote from the Course that sums up the point perfectly….

“Every decision you make stems from what you think you are, and represents the value that you put upon yourself.”

It may seem odd that the Course says “what you think you are” rather than “who you think you are,” but that wording is no accident.

If someone asks, “Who are you?” you’re likely to answer with your name, address, job title, and the roles you play. For instance, “I’m Jane Doe from Wichita Falls, and I work as a bookkeeper for a construction company. I have two children, and my husband and I have been married for 18 years.”

But how do you answer if someone asks, “What are you?”

The answer to this question, says the Course, is the same for everyone on the planet: “I am a holy child of God, perfect and complete.”

(If the word God is off-putting for you, you can substitute the words that work for you, such as Creator, Spirit, Divine Love, etc.)

Those words may fly in the face of what you’ve believed about yourself. Maybe you were taught that you were unlovable or bad, sinful or broken. Maybe someone told you that you’ll never be good enough, or you don’t deserve happiness.

If that’s the case, it will be hard to value yourself no matter how successful you may be at the different roles you play in your life.

That’s why our real value doesn’t come from what we do in the world, but what we believe ourselves to be.

“I am a holy child of God, perfect and complete.”

For today, repeat that message to yourself as often as you can, taking time to feel it all the way through your body.

If you feel any resistance to it, that’s okay. Simply take a breath and say it to yourself again, relaxing into it and entertaining the possibility that it could be true.

Then ask Spirit to heal the resistance in you so you can claim this statement deep in your heart, remembering the grandeur of what you are and will always be.

Debra Engle is the author of The Only Little Prayer You Need and the award-winning Let Your Spirit Guides Speak. You can find her on Facebook and at debraengle.com. Listen to her podcasts at sacredstoriesmedia.com.

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