Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Nouwen Meditation: Our Gifts Are Not The Same As Our Talents

September 21, 2021, marks the 25th Anniversary of the death of Henri Nouwen.  To commemorate and celebrate his remarkable life and legacy, please plan to join us for a special free online gathering of our global Henri Nouwen Society community.

DAILY MEDITATION | AUGUST 17, 2021
Our Gifts Are Not The Same As Our Talents
More important than our talents are our gifts. We may have only a few talents, but we have many gifts. Our gifts are the many ways in which we express our humanity. They are part of who we are: friendship, kindness, patience, joy, peace, forgiveness, gentleness, love, hope, trust, and many others. These are the true gifts we have to offer to each other.

Somehow I have known this for a long time, especially through my personal experience of the enormous healing power of these gifts. But since my coming to live in a community with mentally handicapped people, I have rediscovered this simple truth. Few, if any, of those people have talents they can boast of. Few are able to make contributions to our society that allow them to earn money, compete on the open market, or win awards. But how splendid are their gifts!
"Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."

1 PETER 4:10 (NIV)
VISIT OUR BOOKSTORE
Consider our monthly giving program to sustain the ability to extend Henri's legacy and make his work available to those who seek spiritual formation and nourishment. Click here to sign up today.

No comments:

Post a Comment