Image text: Enneagram work reveals how the weight of our armor has become more crushing than the things from which it was protecting us. Increased awareness is the beginning of the unburdening.
Our personality is a gift that has allowed us to protect ourselves, but as we mature, we may begin to see that it is no longer serving us in some areas. Instead of scrambling to change, we can give compassionate attention and curiosity to our patterns behavior.
“Oh, look! Here I am, doing this thing again. I wonder why I felt I needed to protect myself in this situation?”
With time and spiritual practices that open us up and express our consent to God’s work in us, we may be surprised to find ourselves transforming inwardly while outwardly growing in our compassion for others. As we engage in nonjudgmental self-observation, we experience the beginning of the unburdening.
When do you feel the weight of your armor the most? How do you notice it crushing you? Perhaps we can ask God to give us some respite from our self-protection just for a moment today—long enough to remember and feel that we are loved completely and with no strings or conditions attached.
Lindsay L. O'Connor 
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