I recently led a summer retreat titled "The Spirituality of Henri Nouwen." Henri has long been one of my favourite authors to read, and it’s not too much of a stretch to say that I see him as a spiritual guide of some sort. During this retreat, someone asked the simple question, “So, why Henri?” In other words, why was Henri Nouwen the person that I gravitated to?
Henri Nouwen
Holding My Book in My Hands
Why do we allow our inner voices to be so critical of our abilities or efforts? Instead of resting deep in the delight of God, we pay attention to our own cranky curmudgeons which highlight every flaw, mistake, and shadow of imperfection. Henri Nouwen was right when he said that the greatest danger to our spiritual lives is our own self-rejection.
Responding to Rejection
Why do we give such credence to one negative comment rather than a plethora of encouraging statements? Logically we know this shouldn't be the case. We know we should rest in encouragement and love rather than in negativity. But we can’t always guard against rejecting comments, and when they come, they shake us in the deepest part of our soul.
Crafted and Called.
Moses had spent years defining himself by the lack of external validation. Everything he went through told him that he was not useable by God; that was his identity. But the answer of our identity is never one we must create; it is one we receive. Moses was so busy describing how he saw himself, that he failed to hear how God viewed him.
The story in our wounds
I have many scars scattered over my body. I have a scar on the inside of my right elbow, and one along my right side. Incisions were made in my groin, and I have 3 bald spots on my head. But one scar outdoes them all. The doozy is the 8-inch scar down the center of my chest. This is the one that is most evident, and most telling.
Alive and Loved
Bobby Flay’s cat has more Instagram followers than I do. This fact plays havoc on my self-esteem. As someone who battles the constant torment of comparison, the fact that a celebrity feline makes a bigger splash in people’s lives speaks only to my own self-judgement; I can’t help but condemn myself.
The Danger of Self Rejection
Have you ever felt that way? Have you ever felt that God blesses everyone else but you? Have you ever felt that, despite your best efforts, you can never climb the spiritual heights needed to “earn” your place in God’s good graces? Henri Nouwen once wrote that the greatest danger to our spiritual lives is our self-rejection.
In Conversation: Wil Hernandez
Henri Nouwen is one of the authors I read a lot from. His words plumb the depths of the spiritual life in profound ways. So, when I started dreaming of my parish's Lenten program for 2022, I knew that I wanted to structure it around the works of Henri Nouwen.
Reverend Kyle Norman 