| After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. - 1 Kings 19:12 |
The Still, Small Voice
I am not saying there is an easy solution to our ambivalent relationship with God. Solitude is not a solution. It is a direction. The direction is pointed to by the prophet Elijah, who did not find Yahweh in the mighty wind, the earthquake, the fire, but in the still small voice; this direction too is indicated by Jesus, who chose solitude as the place to be with his Father. Every time we enter into solitude we withdraw from our windy, earthquaking, fiery lives and open ourselves to the great encounter.
The first thing we often discover in solitude is our own restlessness, our drivenness, and compulsiveness, our urge to act quickly, to make an impact, and to have influence; and often we find it very hard to withstand the temptation to return as quickly as possible to the world of "relevance." But when we persevere with the help of a gentle discipline, we slowly come to hear the still, small voice and to feel the gentle breeze, and so come to know the Lord of our heart, soul, and mind, the Lord who makes us see who we really are.
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Advent Online Book Discussion
There is still lots of time to join our online Advent book discussion of Henri Nouwen's "Life of the Beloved." You are welcome to participate in any way that is spiritually nourishing for you!
This week's Advent reflection is from Clowning in Rome © Henri J.M. Nouwen. Published by Penguin Random House and reprinted here with publisher's kind permission. Photo Credit: Henri Nouwen by Frank Hamilton, used with kind permission.
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