Five or six years ago I read Henri Nouwen’s Sabbatical Journey. It is his personal diary from the last year of his life. I picked it up last night and read through some of the passages I had marked. It encouraged my soul. I felt as if I was reconnecting with a dearly loved friend who had moved far away and whom I had forgotten about. Nouwen’s unguarded and honest reflections have a way of reminding me that I am not alone in my journey. His words express what I know to be true but have not been able to articulate. Here are a few tidbits:
“Why should I ever think or say something that is not love? Why should I ever hold a grudge, feel hatred or jealously, act suspiciously? Why not always give and forgive, encourage and empower, give thanks and offer praise? Why not?”
“It’s time to make a radical choice for solitude, prayer, and quiet writing.”
“I pray that I can be focused on Jesus and not too concerned about what everyone thinks or says.”
“The more faithful I am to my solitude, the more fruitful it will be in my community.”
1 comment:
“Why should I ever think or say something that is not love? Why should I ever hold a grudge, feel hatred or jealously, act suspiciously? Why not always give and forgive, encourage and empower, give thanks and offer praise? Why not?”
I like that. We all know that love, forgiveness, encouragement, etc. are good. And we also have a suspicion that we don't have to do these things. These things are not duties (or at least our reason doesn't recognize them as duties). But they seem like great things--the kinds of things that make worth life worth living.
We don't need to know why we should do these things. I suspect we won't find a satisfactory answer if we look for one. The question is just whether we have a good reason not to do them.
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