Building your house on the solid rock of Logocentric thinking
In our modern world, the drive for a strong sense of self, for recognition, and for tangible success is a powerful motivator. We seek to build an identity that is effective and respected. Yet, in this pursuit, a fundamental paradox emerges: the very things many desire—a powerful ego, wealth, and influence—cannot be successfully attained by chasing them directly. True, sustainable selfhood is not a prize to be seized, but a structure to be built, and it requires a foundation of something far less glamorous but infinitely more important: wisdom and truth.
In the biblical passage of 1 Kings 3:4-13, God offers the newly crowned King Solomon anything he desires. Rather than pursuing personal advantages like long life, wealth, or power over his enemies, Solomon asks for the essential tool of a just ruler: an “understanding heart” to discern between good and evil. This principled choice to prioritize rational judgment above all else was seen as profoundly worthy. As a result, God granted him not only his request for unparalleled wisdom but also the very riches and honor he had wisely chosen not to pursue directly.
Ancient narratives often contain the blueprints for timeless human challenges. Consider the story of King Solomon, who, upon ascending the throne, was offered anything he could desire. He stood at a crossroads that every individual faces, albeit on a smaller scale. He could have asked for long life, immense riches, or victory over his enemies—the direct symbols of a gratified ego. Instead, he made a request that seemed to bypass personal gain entirely.
Solomon asked for an “understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may discern between good and evil.” He did not ask for the rewards of power, but for the prerequisite of its just exercise: wisdom. This choice pleased the divine because it demonstrated a profound understanding of reality. By prioritizing the faculty of reason and judgment—the ability to see the world clearly—Solomon proved himself worthy of the very things he did not ask for. Consequently, he was granted not only unparalleled wisdom but also the riches and honor that became a natural result of it.
In the narrative of Genesis 29:1-30, Jacob arrives in his uncle Laban’s land, falls deeply in love with his cousin Rachel, and agrees to work for seven years to earn her hand in marriage. On the wedding night, Laban deceives Jacob by substituting his older, less-favored daughter, Leah, as the bride. Upon discovering the deception, Jacob confronts Laban, who defends his actions by custom and offers Rachel in exchange for another seven years of labor. Jacob ultimately agrees to the new terms, marrying Rachel a week later and beginning a second seven-year term of service for the woman he truly desired.
An apophatic experience is a moment of understanding where a deeper truth is revealed not by what it is, but by what it is not. This often occurs through a process of negation or profound disillusionment, where the shattering of a false belief or a cherished illusion forces a confrontation with a more fundamental reality.
This principle is echoed in an even older, more archetypal story: Jacob’s relationship with Leah and Rachel. Jacob desired Rachel, who represents the beautiful, sought-after goal—the vibrant, conscious ego and the life it commands. Yet, to win her, he was first confronted by a great lie, forced by Laban’s deception into marrying Leah, who symbolizes the less-desired but essential foundation of truth. Sometimes, we must learn what something is not before we can grasp what it truly is, and in this way, Laban’s lie became a profoundly apophatic experience for Jacob; the negation of his desire revealed the objective reality he first had to integrate. Only by building a life upon the bedrock of this unwelcome but necessary truth could he sustainably support the beautiful structure of his ultimate desire.
A personality gestalt is the unified whole of an individual’s character, where all separate traits and experiences are integrated into a cohesive system that is greater than the sum of its parts. The ego personality is the conscious core and organizing principle of this gestalt, representing the integrated sense of “I” that directs and gives form to the total self.
Another profound archetypal lesson comes from the story of Moses at the burning bush. When Moses asks for God’s name, the response is not a simple label but a statement of pure being: “I am that I am.” This phrase represents the ultimate, integrated self—a fluid personality gestalt so grounded in reality that it is not defined by external forces, but by its own unwavering existence. It signifies an ego that is able to be whatever truth and justice demand in any given moment. Since we have been created in God’s image, we, too, can strive for this state of sovereign being by building our own personality gestalt upon the same principles of reason and morality (Matthew 7:24-27), becoming an individual whose core identity is synonymous with reality itself.
