Life is full of storms.
Some are outside myself and others start in the secret corners of my own heart.
All of them make me wish for quiet and calm, peaceful waters where I can sail the ship of life and not worry about sinking beneath the waves.
When I’m afraid I remind myself that Jesus is the Peace Speaker.
He calmed the wind and waves on the Sea of Galilee and He will calm the wind and waves of my heart.
He is the unchangeable, faithful God and I am always safe in the sea of His love and goodness.
Dear Lord,
Today I thought of the words of Vincent van Gogh: “It is true there is ebb and flow, but the sea remains the sea.” You are the sea. Although I experience many ups and downs in my emotions and often feel great shifts and changes in my inner life, You remain the same.
Your sameness is not the sameness of a rock, but the sameness of a faithful lover. Out of Your love I came to life, by Your love I am sustained, and to Your love I am always called back. There are days of sadness and days of joy; there are feelings of guilt and feelings of gratitude; there are moments of failure and moments of success; but all of them are embraced by Your unwavering love….
O Lord, sea of love and goodness, let me not fear too much the storms and winds of my daily life, and let me know there is ebb and flow but the sea remains the sea.
Amen
Henri J. M. Nouwen
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thelifeididntchoose 
My brother introduced me to Henri Nouwen ..his words are profound…his heart was so heavy…but his works are inspired and healthy for those of us who have suffered ultimate grief…Nothing can take away our grief…but through God’s Word and inspired persons who share their own experiences and how they covered themselves in God’s Word, we can find moments of peace which lead to healing, but do not mistake healing ❤️🩹 for the broken heart 💔 that is within…I highly recommend Henri Nouwen also🙏
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Thank you for Henri Nouwen’s prayer. I am struggling at the moment.
We have had a new Priest in our Parish some 2 years ago. I can see he is a good man and personally I like him. However, he is a traditionalist and it is becoming more and more uncomfortable listening to homilies of almost fire and brimston interpretations.
His style is very different to the Marist Fathers who have been our Priest for the last 75 years.
I find it all very confussing. 😔
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I’m sorry for that confusion and discomfort. If you haven’t read much of Nouwen, I recommend him. He suffered depression and self-doubt for much of his life but ended up serving at L’Arche Home which was a community of people-some with what we call disabilities and some without. Instead of being carers and cared-for, they lived in full community with one another serving however they could. (At least that’s my understanding of how it was.)
He was a very gentle and wise man that I wish I had met. The next best thing is to read his work. Praying for you, my friend. ❤
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