SELFHOOD Part 1

At SYBS’ House, a central idea we focus on is what we term ‘’SELFHOOD’’. Selfhood is your internal structure, your inner image, the foundation of the outer life of each individual you see. Just as a building has a foundation that holds it up but cannot be seen, our selfhood is also the inner image that cannot be seen but “holds us up” and defines “how” we are on the outside. It is our core operating system. Selfhood is what the Bible refers to as your heart.

Understanding Selfhood: Who We Are in Christ

The Bible teaches us that our hearts are at the core of our true selves. It’s through our hearts that we make decisions, feel emotions, and determine our actions. Understanding selfhood— HOW we truly are— is a journey to understanding how God sees us and how we can live in a way that pleases Him. Selfhood is more than just the way we look or how people see us. It's about the deep, inner parts of who we are—our thoughts, our feelings, and our beliefs. It is not about our outward appearances or actions we show to the world, but the inner thoughts, feelings, and values we hold. In Scripture, the heart is often referred to as the centre of our selfhood, and it is from our heart that everything flows.

Biblical Reference:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” (Proverbs 4:23, NIV)

This verse teaches us that our hearts—our inner self—affects everything we do. If we want to grow in our selfhood, we need to pay attention to what’s going on in our hearts.

Why is Our Heart So Important?

The Bible tells us that the heart is where our motives and convictions dwell. It is the seat of our decisions, our emotions, and our motivations. The Bible speaks about the heart as the place where we make choices, feel joy or sadness, and dream for the future. Most importantly, the heart; our SELFHOOD, not our physical appearance, outward actions or eloquent words, is what our heavenly Father Yahweh, looks at when evaluating us daily. So we need to get to know our selfhood so we can live successful lives.

Biblical Reference:

“The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” “I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings” (1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah 17:10)

God cares deeply about our hearts. He sees past the outer layers and looks at the true essence of who we are. It is when we focus on developing our inner self’s, that we grow closer to God’s plan for our lives.

We’ll continue with our discussion on Selfhood in the second part of this article.