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

In each of us there is a vulnerable self that seems to be left behind very early in life. It’s the part of us that never felt completely received and so we used many survival skills.  We may complain that it is hard for us to pray and to experience God’s love. But He dwells in our fearful, never received self. When we befriend our true self and discover that it is good, we will see Jesus there. Where we are the most human, most ourselves, weakest, there Jesus lives. So we need to bring our fearful self home. If we keep it distant, it cannot show us its true beauty and wisdom and then we survive without really living. We may look to others to offer us some temporary comfort.  But we need to be patient and not let our fearful self run off. Let it teach us its wisdom; let it tell us that we can live instead of just surviving.  Let us celebrate that Jesus is living within us and offering us all we need, so we can be at peace.