Knowing our deformations

RESUMEN: We need to be aware of the unknown forces within us that come from our subconscious, which can affect our lives without us realizing it. We must ask the Holy Spirit for discernment of our character flaws and work to control them with humility, prudence, and self-control. The lack of introspection can lead to problems and neuroses in our personality. Sometimes, God may allow us to struggle with our inner deformations for a long time until we can overcome them through confession, prayer, and submission. This struggle can become a benevolent opponent, leading us closer to God and making us more dependent on His grace. The example of the Apostle Paul's thorn shows how God can use apparent weakness for our good, keeping us humble and protected from spiritual pride. We should rejoice in our weaknesses because when we are weak, we are strong in Christ.

It requires a very lucid awareness of the unknown forces that continually struggle within us. The human subconscious is a bottomless sea. Many of the actions that affect our lives come out of it, many times without us being able to realize it.

We have to ask the Holy Spirit for a very deep and incisive ability to discern those structural flaws, those “Achilles tendons” of our character that, like invisible cracks running along a wall, endanger our stability and permanence. We all have those flaws. In many cases we will not be able to eliminate them entirely, and we will only be able to control them and keep them under discipline throughout our lives.