Volume I - Edition VII
Guest Article written for the Henri Nouwen Society:
On the
Journey Towards Acceptance
written by JAN DAVIS
Often we tend to accept ourselves - or
not - according to what we do, what we
have, or what we believe that others
think about us. To move towards
acceptance suggests a shift to full,
conscious, and active participation in
who we are. Henri Nouwen often
spoke of "beloved" to describe our true
identity. But how easy is it to accept
ourselves as beloved?
As a mother whose sons were involved in
4-H, raising and showing sheep, I know
sheep. I know their stinky smell, and
their stupidity, and their
unpredictability. I could preach a
sermon about the Good Shepherd gathering
the sheep - they were never where they
were supposed to be. I could relate to
being one of those sheep, knowing the
stupid things they do.
Then last summer during a pilgrimage on
the Scottish isle of Iona, with the air
clean and thin, the sky clear and pure,
I saw the white ones grazing on the
green. The sheep on the lush grassy
carpet, dappled with white wildflowers,
reflected the serenity and rightness of
being. They simply were - with a sense
of belonging, content with green
pastures, not striving to be other. For
us on the journey towards acceptance as
beloved of God, there is a rightness of
being.JAN DAVIS is a wife, mother, and
grandmother. Her Doctor of Ministry is
in Proclamation and Worship, and she
leads retreats and parish missions. Jan
is a Benedictine Oblate and spiritual
director in San Antonio, Texas.
On the Journey
Towards Acceptance" first appeared as a
Weekly Reflection eLetter from
www.HenriNouwen.org
o n April 26, 2007
|
|
