I recently discovered a box of books that I had bought some time ago from Amazon under my bed. Among them were three books - The Return of the Prodigal Son, Life of the Beloved and The Only Necessary Thing - written by Catholic priest Henri Nouwen.
I am reading them now and am very edified by his words. I consider it a tremendous privilege to read in another person's words his own struggles for things of the world juxtaposed with his longing for God and his intimacy with God.
God has a purpose in me reading these books now at this stage of my Christian journey. I pray that I will draw from the books whatever God intends for me to learn, and apply those principles in wisdom, discernment, grace and above all, love.
Excerpts from the book Life of the Beloved:
"Speak to us about the deepest yearning of our hearts, about our many wishes, about hope; not about the many strategies for survival, but about trust; not about the new methods of satisfying our emotional needs, but about love. Speak to us about a vision larger than our changing perspectives and about a voice deeper than the clamourings of our mass media. Yes, speak to us about something or someone greater than ourselves. Speak to us about....God."
Gratitude is the most fruitful way of deepening your consciousness that you are not an "accident" but a divine choice. Where there is reason for gratitude, there can always be a reason for bitterness. It is here that we are faced with the freedom to make a decision. We can decide to be grateful or to be bitter. When we keep choosing gratitude, when we keep claiming the light, we will find ourselves becoming more and more radiant. What fascinates me so much is that every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to be grateful for.
Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love.
One day we feel great, the next we feel miserable. One day we are full of new ideas, the next everything looks bleak and dull. One day we think we can take on the whole world, but the next even a little request seems too much for us.
When we are thrown up and down by the little waves on the surface of our existence, we become easy victims of our manipulative world, but when we continue to hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.
God has a purpose in me reading these books now at this stage of my Christian journey. I pray that I will draw from the books whatever God intends for me to learn, and apply those principles in wisdom, discernment, grace and above all, love.
Excerpts from the book Life of the Beloved:
"Speak to us about the deepest yearning of our hearts, about our many wishes, about hope; not about the many strategies for survival, but about trust; not about the new methods of satisfying our emotional needs, but about love. Speak to us about a vision larger than our changing perspectives and about a voice deeper than the clamourings of our mass media. Yes, speak to us about something or someone greater than ourselves. Speak to us about....God."
Gratitude is the most fruitful way of deepening your consciousness that you are not an "accident" but a divine choice. Where there is reason for gratitude, there can always be a reason for bitterness. It is here that we are faced with the freedom to make a decision. We can decide to be grateful or to be bitter. When we keep choosing gratitude, when we keep claiming the light, we will find ourselves becoming more and more radiant. What fascinates me so much is that every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to be grateful for.
Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love.
One day we feel great, the next we feel miserable. One day we are full of new ideas, the next everything looks bleak and dull. One day we think we can take on the whole world, but the next even a little request seems too much for us.
When we are thrown up and down by the little waves on the surface of our existence, we become easy victims of our manipulative world, but when we continue to hear the deep gentle voice that blesses us, we can walk through life with a stable sense of well-being and true belonging.
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