Brennan Manning emphasizes the importance of recognizing our true selves in relation to God. If we accept what God says about us as the ultimate truth, we can begin our spiritual journey from an honest starting point. This notion suggests that acknowledging our vulnerabilities and flaws is crucial in developing a deeper relationship with the divine.

Manning references Thomas Merton's insight about our reluctance to confront our own nothingness before God. Many of us fear that if we truly confess our shortcomings, we will only receive more difficult truths. This fear often paralyzes us, much like patients hesitant to reveal their deepest pains to a doctor, worrying that the diagnosis might be worse than they imagined.