The Search for Significance
Have you struggled with Anxiety, Depression, trauma, childhood neglect, or other relational abuse? Have you ever found yourself asking “Who am I?” or “What is my purpose?” or maybe you’ve had thoughts like “I am a failure”, “I’m not good enough”, or even “I am unlovable”?
As a mental health therapist, I have seen many clients who struggle with limiting or false core beliefs about themselves that sometimes lead to identity crises. They will say things like “I don’t know who I am or how to relate to others,” or “I don’t know who I would be without ________________ (insert “anxiety,” “depression”, “trauma”, etc). In therapy, one of the treatment modalities that is effective for negative or anxious thoughts is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). CBT’s framework consists of a precipitating event that triggers a thought, that leads to a certain emotion, which then drives the individual’s behavior. During treatment, the clinician helps the client to REPLACE the negative thoughts with more positive, rational thoughts, which trigger more neutral or positive emotions, which then impacts the client’s behavior. Over time, this practice has the ability to rewire the client’s brain and the new, more positive and realistic thought process becomes the new norm.
Where do we go to get the alternative thoughts?
Well, for the Christian, the Bible is not only our guide for life, but also the authority that defines our identity in Christ. The Search for Significance by Robert McGee, professional counselor and lecturer, examines the topic of identity through the lens of the Christian faith. Using the CBT framework, he exposes false beliefs about self, and replaces these false beliefs with the truth of who God says you are.
During the last 12 weeks:
I had the privilege of guiding a group of participants though a deep dive exposing false beliefs about ourselves that lead to things like shame, guilt, or just not feeling “good enough”. The book focused on 4 false beliefs, the consequences of those beliefs, how these false beliefs manifest in our lives, and God’s solution based on scripture.
The first false belief presented is “I must meet certain standards in order to feel good about myself.”
Do you struggle with perfectionism, an obsession with success, trouble allowing yourself to take risks, or try to manipulate others in order to succeed? You might be holding this false belief that leads to a fear of failure. Fortunately, God’s solution to this problem as presented in the book is justification as He declares the believer free from the guilt of our sin and any sin we will ever commit. “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). As a result, we can declare “we are completely forgiven and fully pleasing to God. We no longer have to fear failure.”
The second false belief is “I must have the approval of certain others to feel good about myself.”
Do you find yourself always trying to please others, usually at the cost of your own needs or happiness? Are you sensitive to criticism, or isolate yourself to avoid criticism? You might be suffering from the fear of rejection. However, God has a solution for that as well. Reconciliation is the act of restoring a relationship or friendship. The Bible says, “once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation” (Col 1:21-22). As a result, we can walk in the truth that “we are totally accepted by God and no longer have to fear rejection.”
The third false belief is “those who fail are unworthy of love and deserve to be punished.”
This false belief might appear as punishing or blaming others when we fail. Propitiation is God’s solution for this fear of punishment. Propitiation means that our punishment for our sin was completely satisfied by Christ when he paid our debt with His own death on the cross. “This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love; not that we love God, but that He loved us and said His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (I John 4:9-10). We no longer have to fear punishment or punish others because we are deeply loved by God.
The last false belief exposed in the book is “I am what I am. I cannot change.”
Do you often feel inferior, engage in destructive behaviors, and struggle with hopelessness? This is described as the fear of shame. God’s solution for shame is regeneration, which means to be restored or renewed. As a believer, the Bible says we are a new creation. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). As a result, we can stand on the truth that we are “absolutely complete in Christ”.
If you struggle with knowing who you are, or suffer from limiting, negative, or anxious thoughts. I want to encourage you to read this book The Search for Significance by Robert McGee. My hope and prayer is that you can begin to live a life of freedom, fulfillment, and meaning when you discover your true worth through God’s eyes.
About Two Roads Wellness Clinic
At Two Roads Wellness Clinic, we want to experience the difference of personalized health care. We’re an integrative health clinic offering a vast array of services including, mental health treatments such as EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), family therapy, medication management, primary care, integrative nutritional support including genetic nutritional counseling, life coaching, massage therapy, physical therapy, infrared sauna services, community education and outreach, and more.
The Two Roads Wellness Clinic team of therapists, medical and nutrition staff, massage therapists, life coaches, physical therapists, and emotional support animals are ready to help you find an integrated approach to your wellness. To schedule an appointment, visit our contact page, to get started at one of our convenient locations in Champaign (Crossing/University Ave.,) Danville, Mahomet or Covington.