Henri Nouwen – Daily Meditation
I’ve been receiving a daily email with a couple of short paragraphs of something to think about from Henri Nouwen’s website – derived from a book of ‘meditations’ called Bread for the Journey A lot of the time I glance at them and then delete them, but occasionaly there are some that I dwell on a little longer. There were one or two days that came in useful for an essay on Pastoral Care and a couple recently that I’d like to share:
The Beauty of Shyness
There is something beautiful about shyness, even though in our culture shyness is not considered a virtue. On the contrary, we are encouraged to be direct, look people straight in the eyes, tell them what is on our minds, and share our stories without a blush.
But this unflinching soul-baring, confessional attitude quickly becomes boring. It is like trees without shadows. Shy people have long shadows, where they keep much of their beauty hidden from intruders’ eyes. Shy people remind us of the mystery of life that cannot be simply explained or expressed. They invite us to reverent and respectful friendships and to a wordless being together in love.
and:
Deeply Rooted in God
Those who are deeply rooted in the love of God can enjoy human praise without being attached to it.
Filed under: Theology on April 5th, 2006
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