The Scrooge In All Of Us

I love the movie "Scrooge"! The old miser being changed by the visits from 3 different spirits. The journey from a bleak and unhappy place to a bright and joy filled future. Can people really change like that? It depends. That kind of change only happens when the deepest parts of ourselves are moved to change. Frankly, I like the word "transformed" better. Change feels more temporary and can be reversed. Transformation is permanent.

The Spirit and Transformation

Picture a target, where the bullseye is our spiritual self. The next ring out is our emotional self. The next ring out our personality and behavior. The next ring out our intellectual self. Then the next ring out is our experiences, our knowledge, and the culture we live in. Our spiritual self is at the very center of who we are. It is our beliefs and the values we hold dear. For real transformation to happen, we need to tap into our beliefs and values. These are the drivers behind the rules we have created to live our lives by. They are also the generation point of our self-talk. These are powerful forces in our lives.

If we follow the journey Scrooge went though that Christmas eve into Christmas morning, it started at the outermost "ring" of his target. As the night progressed, the "spirits" that visited him engaged deeper and deeper levels of Scrooge until finally reaching into his spirit. It was at this deepest level where Scrooge was able to reflect on his life, his beliefs, and his values.

During this journey, Scrooge resisted and rationalized. He relied on patterns and habits he developed over the years to try to explain away his short comings. He refused to see the impact he was having on others. He was OK with his blind spots because they served his selfish desires.

But those pesky spirits! They would not leave him alone. Through the night, Scrooge was shown truths that ignited his transformation process. He struggled and complained. He resisted and rationalized. He denied and deflected. Hmm, sounds a lot like me at times.

The turning point came when he was given the opportunity to see into the future along the path he was currently choosing. It was bleak, desperate, lonely, and empty. He came face to face with the reality of what his decisions and actions would bring about. Finally, he was able to break through all of his roadblocks and access the deepest parts of himself. His spiritual and emotional self came together in a way that rocked his world. Then came the crucial question from Scrooge, "Can I change?"

Thankfully for Scrooge (and for us), the answer to that question is YES! But change/transformation is a choice.

The Power of the Spirit

Our spiritual self is the deepest part of ourselves. It touches everything in our lives. Whatever we believe in is what will drive us, what ignites our passion and purpose. To transform ourselves in some way is much easier when we tap into that power. But where does that power come from? Is the source internal or external, or both?

For me, it comes from an external source that I have internalized over my lifetime. I believe in Jesus Christ and the transformational work He has done in my life. You may have some other source of spiritual formation. My experience is that I do not have the spiritual resources I need if I only rely on my spiritual self by itself. It simply is not enough. When I need to transform some part of my life, just like Scrooge, I will always throw up roadblocks if it looks difficult or painful. But those types of transformation have always been the most impactful on my life, even though I might not enjoy them. If you understand Christian beliefs, the Holy Spirit (very unlike the spirits that visited Scrooge) becomes a part of the believer, empowering transformation.

The Purpose of Our Spirit

Have you ever stopped to consider the different parts of you? The physical, emotional, intellectual, behavioral, cultural, and spiritual. We have a pretty good idea of what some parts do but do we really understand the role of our spiritual self? We are all created with a need to connect on a spiritual level. To believe in something bigger than ourselves. With a curiosity to know what happens after this life. This is the spiritual driver in all of us. While we cannot know all of the answers to these deep questions, we develop beliefs that we then trust in to help us move forward.

From a practical perspective, our spirit has profound impact on how we live our lives. Our beliefs and values influence everything. How we interact with our self and with others flows out of our spiritual self. Yes, that includes our emotional, intellectual, cultural, and experiential self, but the spirit in us is constantly at work underneath all of those. Here are some outcomes directly impacted by our spiritual self:

• How we treat ourselves
• How we treat others
• Our morals and ethics
• Our conscience
• Our sense of purpose
• Our passion
• Our desire to be better
• The legacy we wish to leave

These are just a few areas impacted by who we are spiritually. Major parts of our lives, right?!

The Process of Transformation

Transformation actually starts with reflection. We need to look back to look forward. Our guide through this process? You guessed it, our spirit. Think of our spirit as the combination of the most important parts of ourselves, along with our deepest beliefs and values. If we were strictly guided by our emotions, where would that lead? The same question related to our rational brain without any emotion or spirit involvement, where would that lead? The very core of who we are should drive our decisions and actions, and that core should be a balance of the things that make us who we are.

Once we have reflected, we can move on to engaging the transformation we desire. Here are some practical areas to consider for transformation:

• Our spiritual self
• Our leadership
• Our skill development
• The way we communicate and collaborate
• The way we navigate conflict
• How we build trust
• Our emotional intelligence capacity and skills
• Our physical, mental, emotional health

All of these, and more, are major areas of our lives. So how does transformation happen?

1. Reflect on areas of your life you would like to transform
2. Engage your spiritual self to change the beliefs needed to remove roadblocks to facilitate transformation
3. Assess yourself to get the insight you need to empower transformation
4. Equip yourself with the learning, tools, and resources needed
5. Practice, practice, practice...put this new learning and skills in action
6. Reflect on what is working and what is not, adapt and modify as needed

Transformation is Growth

Transformation is the process of growing. Growing new knowledge, new skills, new ways of doing things. Growth is not linear, it is a spiral. As you transform areas in your life, growth naturally happens but it happens in an ever-increasing spiral. As you transform and grow, your capacity and competency increases, allowing you to have a greater impact. You can literally "cover more ground" as you grow. This is the growth spiral.

Where do you want to transform yourself? What growth would benefit you the most? Answering these questions is the reflection process that brings clarity, focus, and direction to where to place your energy and effort in transforming yourself. Where does that energy come from? It comes from the deepest part of yourself...your spirit. Just like the transformation Scrooge went through, when our spirit aligns with the transformation we want to see...great things happen!

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Copyright © 2023 EQFIT® - Author: Steven Goodner. All rights reserved. No portion of this material may be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. For permissions contact: [email protected].