Engage

The Importance of Self Awareness

“Know yourself. Don’t accept your dog’s admiration as conclusive evidence that you are wonderful.”

Ann Landers

There are a number of skills that lead to success in life. Self awareness is one of them, although it is not often seen as a critical trait. However, understanding who we are, how we think, and how we operate is vital to knowing who we are and who God has called us to be.

What exactly is self awareness? Self awareness has been defined as the ability to make an accurate assessment of your own personality, strengths and weaknesses. It is the conscious knowledge of one’s own character, emotions, desires, and motivations. The better we know ourselves and our tendencies toward certain sins, the clearer we can see where we need to grow as followers of Christ. A healthy self awareness benefits our relationships as well, because it also enables us to understand others and how they see us. A  ministry leader with self awareness will have an accurate read on how she is perceived and react accordingly.

Note that self awareness differs from self absorption, which only focuses inward—aka “naval gazing.” Self awareness does not cause us to fixate on ourselves but to better understand how uniquely God created us.

What are some benefits of self awareness, especially in ministry?

Self awareness gives us the ability to discern others’ emotions and reactions.

Self awareness helps us identify our own weaknesses or blind spots  yet not be threatened or intimidated by them.

Self awareness enables us to look back at painful or shameful episodes of our lives and see them accurately, rather than inventing our own narrative. It avoids making excuse for poor behavior.

Self awareness is the polar opposite of denial, which is a refusal to see life as it truly is.

How do we grow in self awareness? Here are a few suggestions:

Process your thoughts and prayers through journaling. I recently flipped through on old prayer notebook. As I read back on a particular struggle I had forgotten about, I saw so clearly how I had skimmed over my own pettiness and put myself in the best light—even in my prayers! Eventually I had become so discouraged that I asked the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to me in this situation and if I could possibly be slightly at fault? It wasn’t long until I saw that I had missed the glaring problem—my own pride, due to a huge blind spot and unwillingness to admit I was wrong. Self awareness enables us to see ourselves as we truly are, but that may take some time and effort. Persevere.

Listen to yourself. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). What do you talk about? I recently sat at a dinner engagement where one person completely dominated the conversation, talking about his vast accomplishments and how brilliant his own influence was on the elite in his city. I’m sure I was not the only one thinking, “Is he ever going to stop? Does he not realize he has talked non stop for thirty minutes about himself?” Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t, but the rest of us sure did. No self awareness.

Don't be afraid to ask the Spirit to give you a healthy perspective on yourself. Then don’t get defensive when He does! Wrestling with our sinful nature, weaknesses, strengths, temptations, and emotions grow our self awareness and help us better serve in the Kingdom.

The end goal of our walk with Christ however, is not self awareness. As Tim Keller has said, “Self-awareness is never the destination, it is only a step on the way to transformation.” A healthy self awareness should put us on (and keep us on) the road to sanctification. Surely this is exactly what King David was striving for when he prayed, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24).

Susie Hawkins enjoys teaching the Bible, speaking, and working with ministry wives from her home base in Dallas, Texas. She has an MA in Theology from Criswell College, and serves on the board of Baptist Global Response (associated with the International Mission Board of the SBC), LifeSavers Foundation. She is the author of  From One Ministry Wife to Another, and has contributed to blogs and various publications. She especially enjoys Tex-Mex lunches with friends and spending time with her grandkids who are beyond awesome.  Susie is married to Dr. O.S. Hawkins, president of Guidestone Financial Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. They have two daughters and six grandchildren.