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wellbeing in God. To delight in the Lord individuals should give secretly; when
for satisfaction is a value that is intrinsic to praying, they should pray in a room with
human nature, as basic to being human as closed doors; and when fasting, they should
breathing or eating (see Ps 37:4). hide the signs of fasting by anointing their
Thus, promoting individuals’ true self-un- head and washing their face. By practicing
derstanding requires drawing them back righteousness before God (and him alone),
to a creational value system. In children individuals conform their values and beliefs
and the young especially, it entails instilling to the truth that behaving in the ways that
the value of “delighting in the Lord” early God esteems (and not merely other peop-
in their development and teaching them le) brings delight.
how God is the loving Father and gracious Another strategy that could be used by
giver of all good things. In those who have counselors and other caregivers is in the re-
become moral agents, and thus sinners, it lational modality. Relational therapy works
especially entails deconstructing old sinful to re-forge the representations of self and
values and beliefs that contravene depen- other that people have previously formed,
dence on God. and in this way it can help them experience
Fostering the true self can occur through se- a right and true relationship with God. Sa-
veral different modes of interventions, but fety, support, genuine care, and confiden-
in order to be effective they must always tiality are requisite qualities of the relatio-
be aimed at conforming individuals’ values nal counselor. The relational modality can
and beliefs to those that God designed for help validate individuals’ authentic need
humans to possess, that is, to those that for communion with God and dependence
reflect the intrinsic value of depending on on him, as Johnson (2007) puts it: “The de-
God. Since this value has been obscured by velopment of a healthy human relationship
sin and false self-understanding, a criterion with a mature, loving soul caregiver can be
for interventions that promote this value a catalyst for a breakthrough in one’s rela-
must be relied upon in addition to human tionship with God, as one experiences—
reasoning and experience, so that interven- perhaps for the first time—a concrete,
tions and their progress can be objectively healing exemplification of God’s love and
evaluated; that criterion is God’s revelation holiness.”
in Scripture, specifically the message of the Ultimately, God is the final cause of suc-
gospel, which communicates God’s grace in cessful interventions, because he utilizes
the most concentrated and effulgent form his powers to support the work from all si-
(i.e., the cross). des: equipping the individual from within,
Interventions must be “gospel interventi- sending other people to help them from
ons” that expose the false self, with its faul- without, and providing his Word as a “living
ty system of sinful values and beliefs, and and active” revealer of people’s hearts and
that internalize gospel values and beliefs. as the criterion for progress.
In my book, I suggest several strategies for In conclusion, we should always hold a
both individuals and those attempting to healthy degree of suspicion about our self-
help them (e.g., counselors). understanding, knowing that only in resur-
For example, a strategy for individuals is to rected bodies can we know ourselves fully,
do good deeds in secret, which helps indi- even as God knows us (1 Cor 13:12). While
viduals internalize the value of seeking de- self-reflection and the counsel of others
light or “reward” in God rather than other can be helpful, we should remember that
sources (Matt 6:1-18). Thus, when giving, true self-understanding is God’s gift. While
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