Dear God, I am so afraid to open my clenched fists! Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to? Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands? Please help me to gradually open my hands and to discover that I am not what I own, but what you want to give me.
HENRI NOUWENFor Jesus, there are no countries to be conquered, no ideologies to be imposed, no people to be dominated. There are only children, women and men to be loved.
More Henri Nouwen Quotes
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The only feelings that do not heal are the ones you hide.
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The great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.
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Keep a space where God can let something totally new take place.
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Once we deeply trust that we ourselves are precious in God’s eyes, we are able to recognize the preciousness of others and their unique places in God’s heart.
HENRI NOUWEN -
The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing that is a friend who cares.
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When we are crushed like grapes, we cannot think of the wine we will become.
HENRI NOUWEN -
Our humanity comes to its fullest bloom in giving. We become beautiful people when we give whatever we can give: a smile, a handshake, a kiss, an embrace, a word of love, a present, a part of our life…all of our life.
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Solitude is the furnace of transformation. Without solitude we remain victims of our society and continue to be entangled in the illusions of the false self.
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Learning to weep, learning to keep vigil, learning to wait for the dawn. Perhaps this is what it means to be human.
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You don’t think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking.
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We cannot make it rain but we can see to it that the rain falls on prepared soil.
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Without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life. We do not take the spiritual life seriously if we do not set aside some time to be with God and listen to him.
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Every time I take a step in the direction of generosity, I know I am moving from fear to love.
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Prayer is not what is done by us, but rather what is done by the Holy Spirit in us.
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If I were to let my life be taken over by what is urgent, I might very well never get around to what is essential.
HENRI NOUWEN