Devotions from Henri Nouwen’s book, The Inner Voice of Love, is about knowing that we are truly loved.
Some people have had such oppressed lives that they need help to break free and to find their true selves. Sometimes they may need permission to explode: to let out their deepest emotions!  Henri discovered that the more love he could take in and hold on to, the less fearful he became. We too will find that as we know we are loved we can speak more simply, more directly and more freely about what is important to us, without fear of other people’s reactions.  We can also use fewer words, trusting that we can communicate our true selves even when we do not use a lot of words. The disciples had a sense of Jesus loving presence as they went out to preach. They had been with him and eaten with him and lived in connectedness with Him. It was from this connectedness that they could speak out with simplicity and directness, unafraid of being misunderstood or rejected.  The more we come to know ourselves-spirit, mind, and body- as truly loved, the freer we will be to proclaim the good news.