If you visit Mindsieve often, you may remember my post of a few days ago about seemingly being adrift from my spiritual side. At the time, I quoted a favorite author, Henri Nouwen. Well, just as God would have it, I believe, Henri gave me some comfort and encouragement 2 days later! I quote -
Sometimes we experience a terrible dryness in our spiritual lives. We feel no desire to pray, don't experience God's presence, get bored with worship services, and even think that everything we ever believed about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spiriit is little more than a childhood fairy tale.
(During that time) it is important to realize that most of these feelings and thoughts are just feelings and thoughts, and that the Spirit of God dwells beyond our feelings and thoughts. It is a great grace to be able to experience God's presence in our feelings and thoughts, but when we don't, it does not mean that God is absent. It often means that God is calling us to a greater faithfulness. It is precisely in times of spiritual dryness that we must hold on to our spiritual disciplines so that we can grow into new intimacy with God.
Well, there you have it - a ready made, hand delivered message through one of God's great servants, Henri Nouwen. In the meantime, I also received marvelous, encouraging comments from some of my favorite bloggers, whom I also consider God's servants, Country Parson, Lucy, and Tess, whom I believe were tapped to deliver messages to me also. Thanks be to God:)
photo - Entertwined by SS
I have not been reading blogs lately, much less writing them, but I'm happy to see you are feeling grounded once again. Henri certainly knows his stuff.
ReplyDeleteWell, nice if I have been tapped to help!
ReplyDeleteOn the appropriateness of your Nouwen passage - I can't count the number of times something pertinent has come along just at the right time in my own life.
I think the need opens us.
Wren - I've been missing your comments AND your writing. And, oh yes, Henri does know his stuff!
ReplyDeleteTess - You've not been tapped for future help but for most recent past comments that proved very supportive:)
I agree that the need often opens us to see what has been there all along for us.
Thanks for the comments.
xoxo