The Two Approaches to Personal Development…

“Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value.”

—Albert Einstein

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Written by Jimmie Burroughs Email this article to a friend

There are two approaches to personal development: Secular personal development and Christian personal development.  Secular personal development is a self-help form of personal development. This is a legitimate approach, in that it does help people to become better human beings and live more successful and meaningful lives. Christian personal development revolves around having a personal relationship with God. Through his indwelling Holy Spirit, we are transformed into His image, producing what the Bible refers to as the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith meekness and temperance. (Galatians 5:16)

One thing true of both of the above methods, concerning personal development, is what Carl Rogers wrote: “The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” Before any change can take place, (change is what personal development is all about) there has to be a personal acceptance of yourself right where you are and then you can begin the process of change. Accepting ourselves where we are isn’t a pass card to remain there, but it acknowledges a starting place for improvement.

The primary distinction between the two methods is that Christian personal development emphasis man’s spiritual connection with God along with God’s transforming work in man’s spirit while secular personal development emphasizes man’s effort to improve himself. Both approaches recognize spirituality as an essential part of personal development but have different definitions as to its meaning.

Spirituality is not to be confused with Spiritualism, but instead refers to that which is immaterial or unseen. It is through the spirit that a person encounters the essence of their deepest being or their deepest values. Getting in touch with and developing the spiritual side, or inner-self, is the objective of personal development.

The science of today recognizes the spiritual side of man, although it does not make a connection with a higher Deity or God. The present day society, as a whole, also recognizes spiritual reality but has different applications as how to utilize it for the better.  Spirituality is widely recognized as an inner force and is believed to have a direct bearing on how we live our lives.

Secular definition of spirituality:

“Secular spirituality emphasizes humanistic qualities such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others, aspects of life and human experience which go beyond a purely materialist view of the world, without necessarily accepting belief in a supernatural reality or divine being. Spiritual practices such as mindfulness and meditation can be experienced as beneficial or even necessary for human fulfillment without any supernatural interpretation or explanation. Spirituality in this context may be a matter of nurturing thoughts, emotions, words and actions that are in harmony with a belief that everything in the universe is mutually dependent…”

A modern secular definition: “Spirituality exists wherever we struggle with the issues of how our lives fit into the greater scheme of things. This is true when our questions never give way to specific answers or give rise to specific practices such as prayer or meditation. We encounter spiritual issues every time we wonder where the universe comes from, why we are here, or what happens when we die. We also become spiritual when we become moved by values such as beauty, love, or creativity that seem to reveal a meaning or power beyond our visible world. An idea or practice is “spiritual” when it reveals our personal desire to establish a felt-relationship with the deepest meanings or powers governing life.” (Definitions from Wikipedia Encyclopedia)

The Devine definition of spirituality:

The Devine definition of spirituality, while embracing some of the same qualities as secular humanism, such as love, compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, responsibility, harmony, and a concern for others, goes further and is based on the premise in the Bible of the fall of man that occurred when Eve ate of the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3:6. The result was sin entered the world and death as the result of sin, death not only included physical death but also spiritual death. Death is defined as a separation. Physical death is a separation of the spirit from the body while spiritual death is a separation of man’s spirit from the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit.

Therefore, in order to realize the full benefits of Christian personal development and God’s promises for eternal life, joy, peace, happiness and purpose in this life, it is necessary to have a connection with God that results in having the indwelling of his Holy Spirit residing within the human spirit.

God through the Holy Spirit then directs all of life through sanctification, which is setting man apart from the general activities of sin and the flesh and repositioning him in the activities of the Devine nature of the Holy Spirit, which is Love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, temperance and meekness (Galatians 5:16-22). It no longer becomes an act of reforming our ways but instead it is allowing the Holy Spirit to produce his ways in us. Personal development then becomes “Christian personal development” and not a self-help form of personal development as taught by Tony Robins, as well as the AAA and most personal development websites on the Internet.

I certainly do not mean to belittle the good work that Tony Robbins, the AAA and secular personal development does. It is true that people can become better human beings through self-help. What I am saying is that Christian personal development places the emphasis on God’s indwelling Spirit and his work of transformation rather than our self-effort, which of course is far better than nothing is at all, but misses the mark of what God can do.

The first responsibility of anyone who wants Christian personal development is to learn how to have a personal relationship with God.

Conclusion:

No effort put into personal development is wasted, whether it is a secular approach or Devine approach. The difference it makes in the quality of life cannot be denied and indeed will determine the degree of success, purpose and joy in life.

About the author: Jimmie Burroughs is a motivational speaker and author who’s been involved in teaching Christian Personal Development for more than 30 years. He is a dedicated believer in Jesus Christ and considers helping others his calling in life. His websites contains over 600 articles on preparing yourself for success and better living through personal development.

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