September 29 – Shadow, Ego, and Grace

Gregg’s Reflection

The ego in me always wants to show strength, to look composed, to keep up the image of having it together. But life has a way of unraveling those illusions. Times of failure, conflict, or loss have often stripped away the polish, revealing the raw shadow beneath. What I once thought disqualified me has, over time, become the very place where God met me most deeply.

It’s humbling to realize that grace doesn’t come through perfection but through surrender. When I try to manage the ego’s image, I grow tired and shallow. But when I risk honesty — confessing weakness, admitting mistakes, or sharing wounds — I find that others connect more with my humanity than with my strength. Grace flows not around the shadow, but through it. Many of the young men were put off as long as I held the posture of the Expert. But, when I moved to vulnerability and letting my brokenness show, the young men began to reach out to me for coaching. I moved from Expert to Elder.

Richard Rohr teaches that the false self is what falls away, while the True Self is hidden with Christ in God. My ego wants to hold onto the mask, but grace keeps inviting me closer to the center — to the place where shadow and light meet, where love is stronger than shame. It is here, not in my defenses, that I discover God dwelling within me. 

Scripture

But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, things that are not, to reduce to nothing the things that are, so that no one might boast in the presence of God.

Corinthians 1:27–29

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 3:3

Ancient Quotes

He who knows himself is greater than he who raises the dead. For knowing oneself leads to humility, and humility draws down the grace of God.

St. Isaac of Nineveh, Ascetical Homilies

Modern Quotes

Whatever is rejected from the self appears in the world as fate.

C. G. Jung, Aion: Researches into the Phenomenology of the Self

Your shadow is the door to your True Self and the encounter with God. Without facing it, you will remain on the surface of your own life.

Robert A. Johnson, Owning Your Own Shadow

Journaling Prompts

• What mask of the ego are you most tempted to defend?
  
  
• Where has God met you in weakness or failure rather than strength?
  
  
• How might grace be inviting you to see your shadow as a place of encounter with God?
  
  
• What would it look like to let go of your defenses and trust God’s love at the center?

Go deeper into this week’s theme:
Read the full Week 39 Reflection: Shadow Work/Own Your Shadow