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| Photo credit: Mehrdad Garousi |
Not
surprisingly, I find myself once again deeply challenged by Nouwen’s words. I
think many of you who read my blog would really love this book. It’s only a
slim volume, but it’s packed with wisdom and insight. I’ll share some of my
favorite quotes from the book over the next month so you can get a taste of
Nouwen’s writing (and hopefully be tempted to read the whole book!) Here’s the
first:
“Beneath all the great accomplishments of our time there is a deep current of despair. While efficiency and control are the great aspirations of our society, the loneliness, isolation, lack of friendship and intimacy, broken relationships, boredom, feelings of emptiness and depression, and a deep sense of uselessness fill the hearts of millions of people in our success-oriented world…
…And the cry that arises from behind all [our] decadence is clearly: ‘Is there anybody who loves me; is there anybody who really cares? Is there anybody who wants to be with me when I am not in control, when I feel like crying? Is there anybody who can hold me and give me a sense of belonging?
…It is here that the need for a new Christian leadership becomes clear. The leader of the future will be the one who dares to claim his irrelevance in the contemporary world as a divine vocation that allows him or her to enter into a deep solidarity with the anguish underlying all the glitter of success and to bring the light of Jesus there.”
Speaking
of books, remember you only have three more days to add your name to my drawing
for a free copy of the book Half
the Sky! Click here
for details.
Steph-That first paragraph of that quote is very, very good. I am one of those western christians who fight that same sort of thing - strive! accomplish! earn! And unfortunately, it extends to my spiritual life and relationship with our Father. How often I judge the 'worthiness' of myself and my day based on what has been accomplished spiritually. Its really sad that our culture has done that to us. :) Thanks for sharing about this book - I've loved Nouwen's The Return of the Prodigal Son. I'll have to read this one.
ReplyDeleteB (I'm assuming that's you, B), I think you would really love "In the Name of Jesus." And I've always meant to read Return of the Prodigal!
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