“Who am I?” This question has haunted countless generations.
The late Henri Nouwen, theologian and bestselling spiritual writer, believed that, for most of us, our response will be linked to what we have, or what we do, or what others say about us.
By allowing our self-worth to be determined by external factors over which we often have no control, we are often led to a sense of worthlessness and despair.
Nouwen reminds us that we are “human beings”, not “human doings”.
The true response to the question is “I am a beloved daughter of God. I am a beloved son of God”.
“God’s words ‘You are my Beloved’”, writes Nouwen, “reveal the most intimate truth about all human beings, whether they belong to any particular religious tradition or not. The ultimate spiritual temptation is to doubt this fundamental truth about ourselves and trust in alternative identities… I hope that you can hear these words as spoken to you with all the tenderness and force that love can hold. My only desire is to make these words reverberate in every corner of your being, ‘You are the Beloved!’”.
In a powerful recorded talk, he urges that the key task of our spiritual journey is to claim that truth and live a life based upon it.
Listen to the talk at: https://www.newpilgrimpath.ie/