"For most of my life I have struggled to find God, to know God, to love God. I have tried hard to follow the guidelines of the spiritual life—pray always, work for others, read the Scriptures—and to avoid the many temptations to dissipate myself. I have failed many times but always tried again, even when I was close to despair.
"Now I wonder whether I have sufficiently realized that
during all this time God has been trying to find me, to know me, and to love
me. The question is not 'How am I going
to find God?' but 'How am I to let myself be found by him?' The question is not 'How am I to know God?' but 'How am I to let myself be known by God?' And finally, the question is not 'How am I to love God?' but 'How am I
to let myself be loved by God?' God is
looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me
home." – Henri Nouwen, The Return of the
Prodigal Son: A Story of Homecoming
Image source: Rembrandt, The Prodigal Son, 1669
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