It has been a while since my last post... and this is for a number of reasons - primarily because of my studies, and a recent tendency to be a little more quiet (out of the public eye). But I have been very well.
It is so easy to lose the focus of things sometimes... a struggle to see the world through God's eyes; to get caught up with the daily storms and forget that we can simply lift our arms to our loving God and be raised above the storm. This is what I have been trying to do lately - to lift my arms and allow God to carry me to see the world, others and myself through His eyes!
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John 6:16 "When Jesus saw that they were ready to force him to be their king, he slipped away into the hills by himself."`
Loneliness to a surprising way to a new openness: We are often afraid to be alone. Afraid of what we may discover about ourselves when we stop long enough to be still. Afraid of the insecurities and sins that still lurk within us even though we have tried so hard to sublimate them. Afraid to face our insignificance, lack of fulfillment, and the eventuality of our death. And afraid to face the lack of closure and resolution of issues that we have tried so hard to square away.
Yet we need to be alone. For we need to rediscover ourselves as much as we need to bask in the search-light of God's love and light - to face our pain and lack of resolution with new hope and faith. In learning to be alone and still, we make a way to meet God with openness and honesty. It is there we can rediscover that we cannot blame others or live in unreality.
Henri Nouwen speaks of the importance of experiencing a loneliness "that cannot be removed by any other sinful human being." [Heart Speaks to Heart p.21] For it is not to others that we should first of all turn; instead, we should create the necessary space to meet with God Himself. While we may fear this place of quietness and openness, it is the only road that will lead to new life. For from new insights come new motivations, which give us new strength, and this will only come when we are loved, sheltered, and affirmed, as well as corrected by the One who truly knows and loves us. [Charles Rigma 'Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen' Pinon Press 2000, Reflection 2]
God bless you and have a great week
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