My journey...
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Guarding the inner life
Read in "Dare to journey with Henri Nouwen" that notes that 'silence is the discipline by which the inner life of God is tended and kept alive'. It is in the quietness of our own being that thoughts can be carefully nurtured.
It is there that hopes can be persistently sustained. It is there that dreams can be awakened. In the solitude of our inner life, resolutions can be forged and difficult commitments made. There an uncluttered intimacy can flourish. There the self can be renewed and transformed. There love can grow and that which is sacred can be guarded and protected.
If this interior life is not maintained, we will weaken our inner strength and dissipate our resolve. We will all the more easily run the risk of being swayed by the dominant voices of our time and run the danger of loosing ourseves. To keep that which is sacred is not selfishness. It is right to maintain that which guards the self. It is, moreover, the seedbed from which courageous actions can flow.
The above is what is written in this book. I can't help but ponder how many Christians actually take the time to guard and nurture our inner life. The business in life actually take us away from what is really important. We can go through our life as Christian and go through all the mechanical rituals of being a Christian, knowing what and when to pray, active in ministry, playing church and yet our inner being can be empty and lost. All that we do comes from a need and a pressure to perform. But when our inner life is filled with that of God, then whatever we do will flow from life from above. A heart that is desiring to do. When the center of our being is Christ, that would be the pillar of our strength. He would be our guide in our journey.
It is there that hopes can be persistently sustained. It is there that dreams can be awakened. In the solitude of our inner life, resolutions can be forged and difficult commitments made. There an uncluttered intimacy can flourish. There the self can be renewed and transformed. There love can grow and that which is sacred can be guarded and protected.
If this interior life is not maintained, we will weaken our inner strength and dissipate our resolve. We will all the more easily run the risk of being swayed by the dominant voices of our time and run the danger of loosing ourseves. To keep that which is sacred is not selfishness. It is right to maintain that which guards the self. It is, moreover, the seedbed from which courageous actions can flow.
The above is what is written in this book. I can't help but ponder how many Christians actually take the time to guard and nurture our inner life. The business in life actually take us away from what is really important. We can go through our life as Christian and go through all the mechanical rituals of being a Christian, knowing what and when to pray, active in ministry, playing church and yet our inner being can be empty and lost. All that we do comes from a need and a pressure to perform. But when our inner life is filled with that of God, then whatever we do will flow from life from above. A heart that is desiring to do. When the center of our being is Christ, that would be the pillar of our strength. He would be our guide in our journey.
posted by Janelle at 8:22 AM
3 Comments:
it can just sum up in a simple equation
inner life = time with God (devotion)
so the question now is how is your time with God?
are you descipline in keeping that time with Him?
thanks for posting this - a very relevant truth in our very busy, complex world!
a difficult thing for the super busy, hyper and those who just can't sit still ... hahaha!
even in the midst of a busy life, the amazing God does get our attention ... although we would always seek to have that disciplined 30, 60 minutes or couple of hours with him on a daily basis.
But the reality is ...
While young lovers spend many hours initially in their courtship or marriage, the demands of a responsible life does cause them to "sober" and move them to a new level in their relationship - perhaps, no longer all lovey dovey but still remaining in love, doing things together and not necessarily always finding time to gaze into one another's eyes on a disciplined manner, at the same time, every single day.
Am I jaded or just being real!
Thanks anonymous. Yes, we should be diligent in keeping the time alone with God. May I know who you are?
Yes Michele, I can relate to you. But we press on. May there be a fresness in our seeking of Him
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