I work with patients all the time who's greatest longing is to be in a relationship where they are valued and nurtured. Perceived expectations from childhood experiences have convinced them that unless they are perfectly organized, or superior in everything, or look beautiful, that they are not acceptable.
One of the things DeAnne and I enjoy doing when we have the chance is visiting New York. (I mean, I wouldn't want to move there, but it sure is fun to visit.)
A few years ago we were there one November. Despite the time of year it was relatively temperate. There was one morning, though,
Posted by: Jeff Terrell in Identity, Counseling on
Jun 25, 2009
Richmont Graduate University has been focusing lately on issues of institutional identity. In some ways that seems kind of funny for a thirty-six year old graduate school, doesn't it? However, it seems to me that our identity is always in some kind of transition.
In his recent book Finding Meaning in the Second Half of Life, Dr. James Hollis is discussing our "existential wounds" and thinking out loud about how we all are programmed by our earliest experiences. Then he makes a very provocative statement:
The book of Genesis is an account of our creation in God's image...and our refusal to trust God's grace. Ultimately, the Fall is about our willfulness. God's design was to provide for all our needs and care for us in every way. The relationship we were to have with God was one of great intimacy, with God walking with us "in the cool of the day."
