Embracing true self through the denial of the falsity of self-preservation

   Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” In this passage, taken from Mark 8:34, self-denial appears to be a prerequisite for following Jesus. But do those proponents of such a position actually realize what Jesus meant when he made this proposition to his followers? Is it possible that passages like this one have been misinterpreted for centuries? Is the transformation of self actually possible without first embracing the whole of who we really are?

   My whole life I’ve been taught by my religion to deny, deny, deny. The overwhelming message of this theological approach to holiness is often very self-defeating. Instead of embracing self and the actualization of our full potential in Christ, we deny self and work hard to become something we were never intended to be. Did Jesus really want his followers to give up on themselves? Or did Jesus invite his followers to discover their true potential in community with the Father. I would argue the latter, and suggest that this is only possible when we embrace self rather than deny our true nature. Self-denial under such a premise does not mean becoming a different sort of person altogether, but rather it means embracing our true self in the midst of the transformation of our character. Resurrection then becomes God’s raising of one’s belief in self in the face of powerful messages to the contrary. To claim self we take responsibility for our actions, resulting in the examination of who we really are. When we subvert this process by denying it we hide behind a banner of false freedom of not having to be self. Owning who we really are is what it means to be free in Christ. Jesus gave people their lives back. What society, pain, disease, aliments, depression, words, etc. had taken away in the form of the pursuit of a false identity (i.e. rejection of self), Jesus gave back transformed and new. That, to me, is what it means to be whole or holy.

   A great example of this comes from the film "Good Will Hunting." Will’s (Matt Damon) transformation begins when he stops denying self and embraces it. The climatic point in the film comes at the end when Sean (Robin Williams) tells Will, “It’s not your fault; it’s not your fault.” All of Will’s pain, stemming from his fathers abuse, created this abrasive, self-egotistic individual that Will denies being. When this self is exposed and embraced Will is free and able to pursue his true potential.

   What if the message Jesus was suggesting in Mark 8:34 resembled this type of transformation of self, that is, embracing true self through the denial of the falsity of self-preservation. What if the denial of self was actually counter productive to the transformational call of discipleship? What if Jesus actually believed his followers had within themselves the potential to be everything he was and more? When we embrace self we allow the transformational process of our character to take place without manipulating it. Accepting self without denying the difficulties involved in the process of self-discovery and transformation is what it means to be a follower of Jesus and a disciple.