Who Are You Fooling?

January 30, 2013,

Dear St. Paul’s Family,

Among the many unexpected joys during my continuing education event in California last week was a stop at the Fingerhut Gallery of Laguna Beach to see an exhibit called “The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss.”   It showcases commissioned reproductions of some of Seuss’ works that had not been published in any of his books. 
  
One of the pieces that caught my attention was a watercolor titled “Fooling Nobody,” painted in 1968.   At first glance, the point of the picture seems simple:  The creature below is attempting to conceal his true nature by displaying a false self in the form of a headpiece.   Despite his best efforts, he fools no one.  The point seems obvious enough.

However, given that both the creature and headpiece are equally animated, determining which is the true self and which is the false self is a bit more ambiguous.  Is the real creature, in fact, the smaller being, attempting to hide his self-consciousness and insecurity by projecting a more confident image?  Or is he instead the bold, unfettered, and free creature, having to tame himself into a more timid, amenable, and composed person?  It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine which is which.

I think that’s why I like the painting so much.  Perhaps Seuss was denigrating neither timidity nor bravado, but the inability to embrace our weakness and find balance in our personality.  Most of us are so intent on hiding our weaknesses that we will do anything to repress them and convey the opposite to others.  We are weak, so we project strength.  We are angry, so we project calm.  We are foolish, so we project wisdom.  We are selfish, so we project compassion.  We are constantly trying to compensate for that which we fear is deep inside us. 

The problem is that in our efforts to repress the shadow side of our personality, we can become the very thing we are trying to escape. 

Carl Jung, the great pioneer of modern psychology, coined the term enantiodromia from the Greek words “enantios” (opposite) and “dromos” (running to) to explain how, in our efforts to run away from our weaknesses, we become the very weakness we are avoiding.  It states that a superabundance of any force inevitably produces the opposite result. 

• A person, wishing to hide his foolishness, pursues knowledge, to the point where he becomes ignorant about emotional and relational matters. 
• A person represses her anger by projecting such extreme composure that she frustrates a loved one that attempts to engage her. 
• A person avoids his inner pain through so many pleasurable experiences that he becomes desensitized from any kind of enduring joy. 
• A person dealing with feelings of abandonment strives to be so involved in the lives of loved ones that her smothering drives people away. 
  

The list could go on and on, and eventually touch you in the deepest part of your own struggles.  All of us, without exception, have shadowy elements to our personality, which we would rather not acknowledge for ourselves, let alone others.  However, denying that they exist only amplifies their destructive power, and our best efforts to project a more positive face before others…well, fools nobody.

A better option than denial is surrender.  It comes from the courage to name our shadows and dare to ask what in those weaknesses can be redeemed and reclaimed for your personality to become whole. 

• Can anything be redeemed from the shadow side of anger?  (Perhaps a righteous fervor against injustice in the world.)
• Can anything be redeemed from the shadow side of foolishness?  (Perhaps a humility that grounds a lifelong curiosity.)
• Can anything be redeemed from the shadow side of irresponsibility?  (Perhaps a freedom that comes from childlike, uninhibited playfulness.)
• Can anything be redeemed from the shadow side of pain?  (Perhaps an embrace of the cross, and an invitation to the cruciform life.)
  

In a moment of great candor, Paul acknowledged to the Corinthian church a “thorn in his flesh,” a weakness that caused him great debilitation and difficulty.  Yet, because he was able to name his weakness and surrender it to God, he was able to extract from it a redemptive quality that made him more whole and complete:

“(The Lord) said to me, ‘My grace is enough for you, because power is made perfect in weakness.’  So I’ll gladly spend my time bragging about my weaknesses so that Christ’s power can rest on me.  Therefore, I’m all right with weaknesses, insults, disasters, harassments, and stressful situations for the sake of Christ, because when I’m weak, then I’m strong.”

The cure for enantiodromia is a balanced self, one in which a person embraces, rather than ignores, the shadow side of their personality.  That is my prayer for you, as I trust it will be yours for me.  Let us become weak, so that in Christ we may be strong.

Grace and Peace,

Magrey 

The Rev. Magrey R. deVega
St. Paul's United Methodist Church
531 W. Main St.
Cherokee, IA  51012
Ph:  712-225-3955
Email:  mdevega@sp-umc.org



YOUTH SKI TRIP
Youth grades 7-12 are invited now to register to attend our annual ski trip on February 23.  Permission slips are now available in the church office and must be signed and returned this week.  This Sunday will feature our Super Bowl snack sale to support the trip, and you can participate by bringing snack items to the church before the service. 

MAGREY OUT OF TOWN FEBRUARY 4-13
The girls and I will be traveling down to Florida to finally celebrate Christmas with my family (now that post-holiday airline fares are finally back down to a reasonable price).  We will be leaving on Monday, February 4, and returning on Wednesday, February 13.  A guest minister will be preaching on February 10.  In the event of an emergency, please contact the church office.   The Mid-Week Message will resume during the week of February 18.