Moral scrutiny is more than discovering how good or bad we are. It is an honest and objective self-assessment, which is at the heart of all spiritual awakening. The exercise is naturally followed by compunction because the ego is subdued, the necessary sadness and humiliation that come from seeing one’s own failures and weaknesses.
Without confidence in a love greater than ours, we will not have the courage to admit our failures. Self-scrutiny is the mature development of conscience and human love.
This necessary search and fearless moral inventory are for the sake of truth, humility, and generosity of spirit, not vengeance or victory over the self. Our world is in much need of people who can be honest about their mistakes and limitations and are able to grow from them.
God desires honesty and humility. In Jesus’ stories of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) and the publican and the Pharisee (Luke 18:9-14), the one who did wrong ended up being right—simply because of their honesty.
Our ego wants to think well of itself and deny any shadow material within itself. Only the soul knows that we grow best in the shadows. “The light shines on inside the darkness, and it is a light that darkness cannot overcome” (John 1:5). This can be called dark grace, but we have been accustomed to light and delightful grace, and so we miss half of our opportunities for encountering both God and ourselves.
Luke 18:14 “I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
