Returning to Trust
- By Henri J.M. Nouwen, From Fear to Love
In my own life I well know how hard it is for me to trust that I am loved, and to trust that the intimacy I most crave is there for me. I most often live as if I have to earn love, do something noteworthy, and then perhaps I might get something in return. This attitude touches the whole question of what is called in the spiritual life, the "first love." Do I really believe that I am loved first, independent of what I do or what I accomplish? This is an important question because as long as I think that what I most need I have to earn, deserve and collect by hard work, I will never get what I most need and desire, which is a love that cannot be earned, but that is freely given.
Thus, my return is my willingness to renounce such thoughts and to choose to live more and more from my true identity as a cherished child of God.
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| Our Lenten Book Discussion is Underway!
Join us during Lent as we reflect on Henri Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son: A  Story of Homecoming. Facilitated by Brynn Lawrence and Ray Glennon. You are welcome to participate in any way that is spiritually nourishing for you! READ * REFLECT * SHARE
Scripture quotation from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America.
Photo of Henri Nouwen by Frank Hamilton. Used with kind permission. Banner image by Sharon Sheehan; used with kind permission. |
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