Daring to Be Ourselves

An acquaintance recently told me that it will feel odd to start calling me “Sister Jennifer” after I make my first profession, and I responded that it will take some getting used to for me as well. Yet, as the poet May Sarton wrote, “We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.” It’s a bit disconcerting to discover that religious life feels like such a natural fit for me when I thought I closed the book on a monastic vocation 30+ years ago. What other avenues have I chosen not to explore because they don’t fit into the image of the person I would prefer to be, instead of the person I actually am?

It can be unsettling to discover new things about ourselves: “I didn’t know I could get that angry.” “I always thought introverts weren’t good at public speaking, but it turns out I’m pretty good at it.” “I was always afraid of dogs until I met Lucky.” Letting go of an old image of ourselves is part of the process of dying to self, and it’s a sign of growing wisdom and humility when we increasingly accept who we are and dare to be ourselves, no matter how surprising or eccentric our true self turns out to be!