“Body and soul contain thousands of possibilities out of which you can build many identities. But in only one of these will you find your true self that has been hidden in Christ from all eternity. Only in one will you discover your unique vocation and deepest fulfillment. … We all live searching for that one possible way of being that carries with it the gift of authenticity. We are most conscious of this search for identity during adolescence, when it takes front stage.”

Benner, David G. The Gift of Being Yourself. Expanded ed. Downers Grove, Ill: IVP Books, 2015, p. 16.

Comment: Benner unites the true self with one’s vocation. He also says here that there is only one single possible identity where a person can find his or her unique vocation. Out of the “thousands of possibilities” you’re born with.

This sounds narrow and exclusionary to me. Unless the true self is simply the saved self and the true vocation is simply the vocation of being in love with God. Then the true self and vocation can blossom and be freely expressed in myriads of ways, different from anyone else and even different from myself in the past or future. They are at the same time quite specific to the individual and not at all specific.