Henri Nouwen in his book, You Are the Beloved (2017), writes,
You are constantly facing choices. The question is whether you choose for God or for your own doubting self. You know what the right choice is, but your emotions, passions, and feelings keep suggesting you choose the self-rejecting way.
The root choice is to trust at all times that God is with you and will give you what you most need…. God says to you, ‘I love you. I am with you. I want to see you come closer to Me and experience the joy and peace of My presence. I want to give you a new heart and a new spirit. I want you to speak with My mouth, see with My eyes, hear with My ears, touch with My hands. All that is Mine is yours. Just trust Me and let Me be your God.’
This is the voice to listen to. And that listening requires a real choice, not just once in a while but every moment of every day and night. It is you who decides what you think, say, and do. You can think yourself into a depression, you can talk yourself into low self-esteem, you can act in a self-rejecting way. But you always have a choice to think, speak, and act in the name of God and so move toward the Light, the Truth, and the Life.
During this Advent season, move toward the light. Let’s cling more to what we cherish than filling our hands with empty and meaningless details. Open hands enable us to extend our hands to others and to touch God. Make the choice to:
Cultivate Authenticity and let go of what people think of you.
Cultivate Self-Compassion and let go of the need to be perfect.
Cultivate a Resilient Spirit and let go of numbing and powerlessness.
Cultivate Gratitude and Joy and let go of scarcity and fear of the dark.
Cultivate Trust and Intuition and let go of the need for certainty.
Cultivate Creativity and let go of comparison.
Cultivate Play and Rest and let go of exhaustion.
Cultivate Calm and Stillness and let go of chronic anxiety.
Cultivate Meaningful Work and let go of oughts, shoulds, and musts.
Cultivate Laughter, Song, and Dance and let go of always having to be in control.
Let wisdom, let Christ (the wisdom of God in the flesh), guard your heart so you can live wholeheartedly.
by Dr. Paula Artac
Prayer
“He became what we are that He might make us what He is.” St. Athanasius