The Life of the Beloved

“…FROM THE MOMENT WE CLAIM THE TRUTH OF BEING THE BELOVED, WE ARE FACED WITH THE CALL TO BECOME WHO WE ARE. BECOMING THE BELOVED IS THE GREAT SPIRITUAL JOURNEY WE HAVE TO MAKE.

Augustine’s words: “My soul is restless until it rests in you, O God,” capture well this journey.

I know that the fact that I am always searching for God, always struggling to discover the fullness of Love, always yearning for the complete truth, tells me that I have already been given a taste of God, of Love and of Truth.

I can only look for something that I have, to some degree, already found. How can I search for beauty and truth unless that beauty and truth are already known to me in the depth of my heart? It seems that all of us human beings have deep inner memories of the paradise we have lost. Maybe the word “innocence” is better than the word “paradise.” We were innocent before we started feeling guilty; we were in the light before we entered into the darkness; we were at home before we started to search for a home. Deep in the recesses of our minds and hearts there lies hidden the treasure we seek. We know its preciousness, and we know that it holds the gift we most desire: a life stronger than death.”

:: Henri Nouwen, Life of the Beloved

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I re-read this passage last week in a book that truly transformed my life in the last year, The Life of the Beloved. It struck me once again at the core.

In a world where we are so surrounded by rejections, it is a spiritual battle to fight to claim our chosenness as the Beloved. This is essentially a paraphrase of Nouwen’s thesis and the argument he builds about how to live a spiritual life in the midst of a secular world.

Part of why this book was so huge for me was that it was trying to communicate a truth that the world so fiercely tries to convince us that there is nothing special about you. but reclaiming our chosenness is a spiritual act of worship. It is so counter-cultural to know and to claim, we are seen, known, broken, chosen, given and blessed.

Words he uses to describe different stages and movements for the life of the Beloved.

I’m experiencing this in a number of ways in my life right now. More of that to come :)