What We Feel is Not Who We Are - Henri Nouwen

What We Feel Is Not Who We Are

Our emotional lives move up and down constantly. Sometimes we experience great mood: swings from excitement to depression, from joy to sorrow, from inner harmony to inner chaos. A little event, a word from someone, a disappointment in work, many things can trigger such mood swings. Mostly we have little control over these changes. It seems that they happen to us rather than being created by us.

Thus it is important to know that our emotional life is not the same as our spiritual life. Our spiritual life is the life of the Spirit of God within us. As we feel our emotions shift we must connect our spirits with the Spirit of God and remind ourselves that what we feel is not who we are. We are and remain, whatever our moods, God's beloved children.

Home

I'm home, showered, and resting.

The need for sleep is great.

I'm praying the intensity will fade, and deep rest will come.

Almost Done

I'm 2.5 hours from finishing work until next Wednesday.

From tomorrow through Tuesday I'll be out of town, spending time in the mountains, and with friends.

I'm ready to be done work for the day. (Though there's much left to be accomplished before I can leave.)

A dear friend arrives from out of town today. She'll meet me here at the office at the end of the workday.

We'll enjoy an evening together in my new home, visit the farmer's market tomorrow morning, and then head for the mountains.

Blogging will be minimal or non-existent. Have a great weekend!

Catching My Eye

These articles caught my attention today...

HIV Travel Ban May End Soon

Homeless Population Jumps

Mental Illness Lacks Awareness

Being Given - Henri Nouwen

Another thought from Henri Nouwen

Being Given

Jesus is given to the world. He was chosen, blessed, and broken to be given. Jesus' life and death were a life and death for others. The Beloved Son of God, chosen from all eternity, was broken on the cross so that this one life could multiply and become food for people of all places and all times.

As God's beloved children we have to believe that our little lives, when lived as God's chosen and blessed children, are broken to be given to others. We too have to become bread for the world. When we live our brokenness under the blessing, our lives will continue to bear fruit from generation to generation. That is the story of the saints - they died, but they continue to be alive in the hearts of those who live after them - and it can be our story too.