The Next Step

When we are hurting most, sometimes it helps to find peace in the words of wise individuals who have traveled difficult roads before us. One such person is Henri Nouwen. His writing is like the most soothing oils. You can sense in his words the compassion of one who has experienced pain and can speak from a place of knowing. The following passage comes from his book, The Inner Voice of Love.

The great challenge is living your wounds through instead of thinking them through. It is better to cry than to worry, better to feel your wounds deeply than to understand them, better to let them enter into your silence than to talk about them. The choice you face constantly is whether you are taking your hurts to your head or to your heart. In your head you can analyze them, find their causes and consequences, and coin words to speak and write about them. But no final healing is likely to come from that source. You need to let your wounds go down into your heart. Then you can live them through and discover that they will not destroy you. Your heart is greater than your wounds….You have to let go of the need to stay in control of your pain and trust in the healing power of your heart.

It's so easy to get caught in pain. Letting your thoughts drown in whys, hows, and what ifs creates an endless circling that rarely gives much relief. Instead it drains away what strength you have and makes little room for hope. Faith means believing in Jesus and trusting him to guide your life. Faith is easy when the path is well lit and the horizon bright ahead. But let's face it, who really needs a guide in those conditions. It's when the sky is dark, the road filled with dangerous twists and turns, and you are barely able to see the next footfall, that you must cling tightly to someone who knows the way. The healing power of your heart comes from God. Surrendering and trusting that he knows you better than you know yourself is the only way to have the courage to step out into the darkness with the faith that the sun will rise again and brighter journeys are ahead.