The Outer Self and the Inner Self

I really enjoyed last class’s discussion on
he inner self the outer self and the self in God. From what I understand, the outer self is what people see. It’s defines people’s views of you. The outer self is what you say, what you do, how you act. I think it’s a lot about your posture and it is what people see. The inner self is much more complicated. It is who we really are. The inner self consists of our thoughts, our core beliefs and values. The inner self infinite, consisting of never ending thoughts, emotions and feelings. I believe the inner self is endless. No one can ever fully know you (your inner self). I believe none of us will ever even fully know ourselves. That is kind of a scary thought but I believe it’s true. I prefer the “pie” model of this theory. I believe the “pie” model more accurately depicts the three layers of self because self in God is in the middle. The “iceberg” model depicts the ocean as self in God and that just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Who we are in God is by far the most important of the three levels of character. Which is odd because it is the smallest part in the pie model, while it’s the biggest part of the iceberg model. I don’t believe we will ever fully understand who we are in God on this side of life. Our inner self will always be scarred with pride. We will always view ourselves “through a mirror dimly” as Paul says. As we grow as Christians we refine our inner selves and therefore grow closer to becoming who we are in God. This will affect our outer selves and the way people view us, ultimately the way people view Christ, seeing that we represent him here on earth.