The spiritual life is a life in which you gradually learn to listen to a voice that says something else, that says, "You are the beloved and on you my favor rests." ... I want you to hear that voice. It is not a very loud voice because it is an intimate voice. It comes from a very deep place. It is soft and gentle. I want you to gradually hear that voice. We both have to hear that voice and to claim for ourselves that that voice speaks the truth, our truth. It tells us who we are. That is where the spiritual life starts - by claiming the voice that calls us the beloved.
The truth, even though I
cannot feel it right now, is that I am the chosen child of God, precious in
God's eyes, called the Beloved from all eternity and held safe in an everlasting
embrace... We must dare to opt consciously for our chosenness and not allow our
emotions, feelings, or passions to seduce us into self-rejection.
We
fail to see the place of suffering in the broader scheme of things. We fail to
see that suffering is an inevitable dimension of life. Because we have lost
perspective, we fail to see that unless one is willing to accept suffering
properly, he or she is really refusing to continue in the quest for maturity. To
refuse suffering is to refuse personal growth.
When we become aware that we do not have to escape our pains, but that we can mobilize them into a common search for life, those very pains are transformed from expressions of despair into signs of hope
“A friend is more than a therapist or confessor, even though a
friend can sometimes heal us and offer us God's forgiveness. A friend is that
other person with whom we can share our solitude, our silence, and our prayer. A
friend is that other person with whom we can look at a tree and say, "Isn't that
beautiful," or sit on the beach and silently watch the sun disappear under the
horizon. With a friend we don't have to say or do something special. With a
friend we can be still and know that God is there with both of us.” ― Henri J.M.
Nouwen
It's really sad that whitney houston did not realize this as truth...
These are the lyrics to her song.
I
Didn't Know My Own Strength
Lost
touch with my soul I
had no where to turn I
had no where to go Lost
sight of my dream, Thought
it would be the end of me I
thought I’d never make it through I
had no hope to hold on to, I
thought I would break
I
didn’t know my own strength And
I crashed down, and I tumbled But
I did not crumble I
got through all the pain I
didn’t know my own strength Survived
my darkest hour My
faith kept me alive I
picked myself back up Hold
my head up high I
was not built to break I
didn’t know my own strength
Found
hope in my heart, I
found the light to life My
way out of the dark Found
all that I need Here
inside of me I
thought I’d never find my way I
thought I’d never lift that weight I
thought I would break
I
didn’t know my own strength And
I crashed down, and I tumbled But
I did not crumble I
got through all the pain I
didn’t know my own strength Survived
my darkest hour My
faith kept me alive I
picked myself back up Hold
my head up high I
was not built to break I
didn’t know my own strength
There
were so many times I Wondered
how I’d get through the night I Thought
took all I could take
I
didn’t know my own strength And
I crashed down, and I tumbled But
I did not crumble I
got through all the pain I
didn’t know my own strength Survived
my darkest hour My
faith kept me alive I
picked myself back up Hold
my head up high I
was not built to break I
didn’t know my own strength
I love this song. I've probably heard it 1,000 times over the last week. I fell in love with it on Glee. Then when Whitney Houston died last week, they have played it over and over. R. Kelly wrote this song for her. Yesterday he sang it at her funeral.
Truly beautiful.
When I started this blog, it was just an experiment. I used to write a lot. I've even published a few articles in regards to the Ministry I feel the Lord is leading me. I guess I have had a "writer's block".
So, I turn to music to help me out... I used to write the music too. I have not even played the piano or guitar in several years. It's not that I don't have the thoughts, but I'm having trouble with the words. God knows what is in my heart...
The last few years have been challenging to say the least. My health problems, being on a feeding tube for over 4 years now. Port-a-cath's. CT Scans, Blood clots and a mass in my left lung, now with acute renal failure. Blood thinner shots daily in my abdomen... too much one week, not enough the next. So, it's scary. I don't get over one thing before I get something else.
So, right now I lay it at Jesus' feet. I can do that... but most of the time I take it back. I guess a game of "tug of war."
For me personally, prayer becomes more and more a way to listen to the blessing. When I go to a quiet place to pray, I realize that, although I have a tendency to say many things to God, the real ‘work’ of prayer is to become silent and listen to the voice that says good things about me.… The faithful discipline of prayer reveals to you that you are the blessed one and gives you the power to bless others.
