The Art Of Self-Awareness

Another one,

By the time you finish reading this, slaps, blows, kicks are what you will experience. By the time I thought to write this I have been slapped, kicked and given blows left right and center.

~Proverbs 20:5 “the purpose in a man’s heart is like deep water, but a man of understanding will draw it out.”

February at my church (Mavuno Church Lavington) is one of my favorite months of the year not only because its “love” month but also because we get to talk about intimacy and more. As I write this we are going through a sermon series called Love Without Masks: Dismantling barriers to true intimacy.

Watch the clip here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxgSpVcZp0Y&list=PL4s3joY1T2BDuyd29WzWnQw7T5K8j7p8s&index=9

Not so long ago I learnt a phrase,
“running away from difficult conversations only increases the distance and pain”
~Eph. 4:25 “speak the truth in love”

I sat at the back left listening keenly as we were taken through something called the Johari window. I googled it out of curiosity just to get a better understanding of what it is and the description google gave was, “a tool that helps people understand their relationships with themselves and others” basically telling us how much of a mask we have on. This fascinated me because it did not start with others then yourself it starts with yourself then others.

I write this four days after hearing about it and I am still puzzled. Over the years I have been keen or driven to understand others and failing to understand myself and who I am. I guess hiding behind wanting to know everything about others and masking everything about me. Thus the question am I self aware? The Johari Window comprises of four windows that sort of help understand where you are at, apple users reading this just know that these windows are key to your truth:

1. The Open Window: where you have things you know and other people know
2. The Blind Window: where you have things you don’t know but others know
3. The Hidden Window: where you have things you know and other people don’t know
4. The Unknown Window: where there are things you don’t know and other people don’t know

What is the one thing as a human being we all fear and I mean all human beings? Honest feedback. We would rather get honest feedback that is diluted and sugarcoated than get honest feedback that is straight up truth. And I think the only way to ingesting and processing honest feedback is acceptance and being open to it.

Pst Kuria “Wounds from a friend can be trusted but an enemy multiple kisses”
~Proverbs 12:15
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.”

 I learnt that shame of what people don’t know about you starts to cast shadows and we hide under these shadows making you feel flawed, useless thus threatening our sense of connection.

Learning about these four windows, brings out not just mine or your life’s perspective but questions you from a spiritual perspective too.

Pst Kuria “We all have our own version of hiding, stop hiding and start living free”

After deeply looking at myself, analyzing myself and searching I realized that I am at number three; The Hidden Window: I have stuff no one knows but I know. The question, is if you were honest with yourself, where are you at? Let me ask you to take a test, don’t worry no names no sign ups, anonymous, just how you like it. Just one question. What window of the four strongly describes you? Use the link below to answer.

https://www.menti.com/al61tn41nvqa

That was easy. Once done with that, lets bring it home so we can really know where we are at. The second test only has two options, its either this or that, now or never, true or false, hot or cold, fire or ice. No no lukewarm choices, no maybes.

https://www.menti.com/alcssek5dcck

Finished the test? Now WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?