“The question is ‘Can you stand erect in your pain, your loneliness, your fears, and your experience of being rejected?’ The danger is that you will be swept off your feet by these feelings. They will be here for a long time, and they will go on tempting you to be drowned by them. But you are called to acknowledge them and feel them while remaining on your feet….
You have to dare to stand erect in your struggles. The temptation is to complain, to beg, to be overwhelmed and find satisfaction in the pity you evoke. But you know already that this is not gaining for you what your heart desires. As long as you remain standing, you can speak freely to others, reach out to them, and receive from them. Thus you speak and act from your center and invite others to speak and act from theirs. In this way, real friendships are possible and real community can be formed. God gives you the strength to stand in your struggles and to respond to them standing.”
Thanks again to the very wise Henri Nouwen for these words. So true, so true!
