Discipline to lose control

There is some really good stuff in Chapter 2 of Henri Nouwen's book 'Turn My Mourning Into Dancing'. He titled the chapter "From Holding Tight to Letting Go." Here are some of the highlights I noted.

In talking about this paradox he quotes from C.S. Lewis's 'The Four Loves':

"To love at all is to be vulnerable... If you want to make sure of keeping [your heart] intact, you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket of your selfishness. But in that casket - safe, dark, motionless, airless - it will change. It will not be broken - it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable... The only place outside of Heaven where you can be perfectly safe from the danger of love is Hell."

In talking about leaving our compulsions behind...

"... whenever I choose other gods by making people or events the source of my joy, I find my sorrow only increases. When I demand from others what only God can give, I experience pain."

"As long as we keep running around, anxiously trying to affirm ourselves or be affirmed by others, we remain blind to One who has loved us first, dwells in our heart, and has formed our truest self."

The need for prayer...

"When we pray we admit that we don't know what God is going to do, but remember that we will never find out if we are not open to risks. We learn to stretch out our arms to the deep sea and the high heavens with an open mind and heart. In many ways prayer becomes an attitude toward life that opens itself up to a gift that is always coming. We find courage to let new things happen, things over which we have no control, but which now loom as less threatening.

And it is here that we find courage to face our human boundaries and hurts, whether our physical appearance, our being excluded by others, our memories of hurt or abuse, our oppression at the hands of another. As we find freedom to cry out in our anguish or protest someone's suffering, we discover ourselves slowly led into a new place. We become conditioned to wait for what we in our own strength cannot create or orchestrate. We realize that joy is not a matter of balloons and parties, not owning a house, or even having our children succeed in school. It has to do with a deep experience -- an experience of Christ. In the quiet listening of prayer, we learn to make out the voice that says, 'I love you, whoever else likes you or not. You are mine. Build your home in me as I have built my home in you.'

And, finally, at the end of this chapter, as we look forward...

"Discipline is the concentrated effort to create some space in our lives where the Spirit of God can touch us, guide us, speak to us, and lead us to places that are unpredictable, where we are no longer in control..."

"... We do not obtain the most precious gifts by going in search of them but by waiting for them."

"Discipline, in the sense I mean, is to leave room in our hearts where we can listen to the Spirit of God in a life-changing way."

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To me, the idea is... We would do well to be vulnerable before God, open to Him, prayerfully listening, and disciplined in this above all else. There we may find hope and strength and joy.

Seems a very timely message. Any further comment by me would likely just take away from these astounding thoughts.

Enjoy.