The Path to Human Excellence

Path to Human Excellence

How can you actually be the best you can be?  The next few articles will answer that question by continuing to consider the part the mind plays in achieving that goal.  We’ll focus on key points in the path to human excellence, points that far too many people overlook or take for granted.  Some people even reject them and pay the price.

 

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) is one of my favorite sculptors and “The Thinker” (Le Penseur), sculpted in 1904, that stands in front of the Pantheon in Paris is my best loved Rodin piece.

The Path to Human Excellence Is Really All About the Mind

Humans only rise to be their best when they skillfully use the power of the mind.  The greatest of all minds, judged by the life it produced, is the mind of Christ.  To be a disciple of Jesus is to learn to think like him so that we can live like him.

The “Thinker” is hard at work. Mental power shapes our lives and our world.

All Opportunities Come with a Price

Becoming God’s Diamond

Diamonds are the hardest and most precious of stones. They are formed by atoms and ions fusing themselves together under great pressure and heat.  God forms his human diamonds the same way: under the pressure and heat of life’s experiences.

Graphite, on the other hand, which is an early stage in the formation of a diamond, is formed under low pressure and comparatively cool temperatures.

Don’t Settle for Being “Graphite”

Strange isn’t it that many of us prefer to avoid the great stress and challenge it takes to form ourselves into diamonds. We settle for being graphite. We seem to forget what we were created to be.

So, let us remind ourselves at the beginning of this study that there is a cost to being all that we can be. Pay the price, endure the pressure, and you too can become all God created you to be.  You will sparkle like one of God’s precious diamonds.

Become a “new creation” in Christ Jesus. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Think like God in whose image you are made.

“Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 2:5 NKJV

Our goal moving forward will be to:

  • Build a solid spiritual and mental foundation.
  • Master your mind and release its God-designed powers.
  • Turn your stresses into fertile opportunities.
  • Discover HOW you can renew your mind
  • Change your brain by changing your mind

“For God did not give us the spirit of fear… but of power…of love and a sound mind.”
2 Timothy 1: 7

“Be transformed by the renewal of your mind…”
Romans 12: 2

“A wise person is master of his/her mind; a fool becomes its slave.”
Unknown

Human Excellence Requires a Specific Psychology

“I used to think my brain was my most important organ. But then I thought: Wait a minute. Who’s telling me that.” – Emo Phillips

To maximize our potential we are given two books from God. One is the Bible and the other is the Book of Creation.

In the Bible we read how God wants us to live. This is called Biblical Psychology. Biblical means you will find it in the Bible, and Psychology means the study of human behavior. Biblical Psychology is, therefore, studying how humans can be the best they can be from the teachings of the Bible.

The Bible

That the Bible should have a psychology makes sense because if God created us He knows best how we should live and behave to maximize our potential.  And he would be likely to give us instructions – the best of instructions!

People often say they wish humans came with an instruction manual. They do.  It’s the Bible!  Surprised?  Avoid malfunctions!  Follow your “Instruction Manual”!

God’s Other Book

The other “book” (creation) tells us what God did, not what he said. We can find out more about the purposes of God as we study our world and ourselves. Studying creation will give us help in how to follow God’s guidelines.

Science Should Be Welcomed

Science is the study of ourselves and our world.  Neuroscience (the study of the brain), for example, is beginning to tell us how our brains are made and how we can operate to maximize the use of our brains. We will take you there and even further. Our study will take you to your mind, that mysterious entity that Jeffrey M. Schwartz calls the “parent of the brain”. He also declares that the mind is the power that shapes the brain.

Science Is Incomplete

While the Bible is a completed revelation (a book that starts with Genesis and ends with Revelation), the study of God’s creation by scientists has only just begun. Therefore, we can expect a progressive understanding from science — not a final, unalterable one. Science has not said its final word on anything yet. So, logically, there is no absolute certainty in a still expanding field of knowledge.

Scientific Discoveries Substantiate and Are Welcomed Here

The history of science gives evidence of this. Science, as it discovers more about our world and us, has had to change its mind often. This is the nature of a progressive discovery and should not be seen as a criticism of science. As science continues to confirm the Bible’s reliability, our faith is confirmed more and more. Faith needs no such confirmation.  But it welcomes the support of these discoveries.

So, without apology, we will search our Instruction Manual’ for guidance and study neuroscience for its illuminating findings.

 

InnerKinetics Book CoverDISCOVER THE TRUTH OF WHO YOU ARE!
Lean into the whole truth.  Discover the truth of who YOU are — the “Real You” — and who your children truly are.  Discover how to best engage your children in finding the whole truth.  INNERKINETICS, Your Blueprint to Excellence and Happiness, is a great resource.

 

 

 

I'm a Keeper Book CoverYOUR CHILD IS ALSO UNIQUE
It may surprise you, but your child is most probably a different temperament.  They are unique individuals too.  So even if they are the same temperament (two letters), they may be a different type (four letters).  And the strength of their drives will different from yours as well.  Your InnerKinetics (temperament) is not genetically passed on.  Therefore, it is exceedingly important to understand your child.  I’m a Keeper! is the resource you need to make that journey.

Post a comment

Print your tickets