A masterpiece of the times by Henri Nouwen
A spiritual milestone for daily rest and spiritual maturity

“The spiritual life is ‘to our deepest self’
To our fellow human beings
And it is a step towards ‘God.’”

“Spirituality can be said to be a relationship.
Henri Nouwen, a great spiritual teacher of our time, quietly and quietly persuades us how we should move throughout our lives toward the three directions of spirituality: self, neighbor, and God.
“If we can listen earnestly to his voice, we will experience the happy guidance of the Holy Spirit who quietly resides in our hearts.” Lee Dong-won (Senior Pastor, Global Village Church)

After many years of growing up, I asked myself:
“Where do I stand as a Christian?” There are many reasons for optimism, but there are also many reasons for despair.
Many of the conflicts of 20 years ago remain conflicts today.
I still seek inner peace, creative relationships with others, and a longing to experience God.
There is no way for me, or anyone else, to know how much the small psychological changes that have taken place over the years have made me a more spiritual person.

But I can say this one thing:
Often, amidst the constant worry and anxiety that irritates us even as the year turns, we come to a clearer realization of some polarities.
Our lives oscillate between these two poles, hanging precariously in the middle.
These poles provide a backdrop for talking about the spiritual life.
Because everyone who struggles to live by the Spirit of Jesus Christ can recognize the polarity.

The first pole is about our relationship with ourselves.
This pole is the polarity between 'loneliness' and 'solitude'.
The second pole forms the basis of our relationships with others.
This is the polarity between 'hostility' and 'warm hospitality'.
The third and final most important pole forms the basis of our relationship with God.
This is the polarity between 'fantasy' and 'prayer'.
As we go through life, we not only learn more about the painful loneliness of life, but we also realize that we truly long for solitude of heart.
We also painfully become aware of our own bitter hostility toward fellow creatures, humans, as well as our desire to unconditionally embrace them.
And at the heart of all this, we not only discover the endless illusion that makes us act as if we are the masters of our own destiny, but also the seemingly insidious gift hidden deep within our own self: prayer.

For that reason, the spiritual life is a constant movement between the poles of loneliness and solitude, between the poles of hostility and hospitality, between the poles of fantasy and prayer.
The more we confess our loneliness, our hostility, and our illusions, the more we can see solitude, warm hospitality, and prayer as part of our lives.
Even if, after so many years, we often feel more alone, more hostile, and more filled with illusions than before, we can see more clearly that through all this pain, our hearts have deepened and become clearer, striving toward a life of solitude, warm hospitality, and prayer.

That's why writing about the spiritual life is like developing a photograph from a negative.
Perhaps it is my experience of loneliness that has enabled me to write the first line, even though I hesitate to do so.
It is precisely because we have confronted our hostile selves that we can truly say that we must choose the path of warm acceptance of others.
Moreover, if you have not discovered the illusions you have in your own anxiety, you will never find the courage to talk about prayer.

Usually when we talk about an open field, we mean in a dark forest.
Often times, prison makes us think about freedom, hunger makes us appreciate food, and war makes us talk about peace.
Ideals for the future are often born from present suffering, and hopes for others often spring from one's own despair.
It's rare for a "happy ending" to truly make us happy; rather, it's when someone speaks thoughtfully and honestly about the ambiguities, uncertainties, and painful situations of life that we find renewed hope.
The truly paradoxical truth is that new life is born from the pain of the old.

It goes without saying that the movements in these three areas are not clearly distinct.
Some themes recur in different tones and in different movements, often flowing into each other like different movements of a symphony.
But I hope that through this distinction we can better understand the different elements of the spiritual life and reach out to our inner selves, to others, and to God.

---From the "Prologue"