Devotions from Henri Nouwen’s book, The Inner Voice of Love

All of us have experienced pain in our lives and it is often linked to some of our early childhood experiences.  We are called to bring that pain home. For if the wounded parts of us remain foreign to our adult self, our pain will injure us as well as others. We need to incorporate our pain into our selves and let it bear fruit in our heart and the hearts of others.  When Jesus said for us to take up our cross He is encouraging us to embrace our unique suffering and to befriend our wounds. We are to let them reveal to us our own truth. Once we have taken up that cross, we will be able to see clearly the crosses that others have to bear, and be able to reveal to them their own ways to joy, peace and freedom.