Nouwen exposes one of our great dilemmas in today's text...who is at the heart of you? He argues that if we proclaim that God does indeed exist, then God must be at the center of one's being instead of self. This is more than prioritization...this is recognition that with God at the heart of who I am, everything else will find its place. It is not my pattern, but God's, and as such I am freed to focus on God and not myself. The text from Philippians that is cited at the beginning of today's entry speaks of God's intentions, God's actions and not our own. During the season of Lent, our journey can lead us to the heart of God...but only if we acknowledge that God exists and invite God to be at the heart of who we are.
JKA
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No disagreement here, but I was sorry that Nouwen didn't connect with Christ in this chapter. Phil 1:27 "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ . . ." includes our intentions in tandem with God's. The verses before the Phil. 2:12-15 quote are Paul's Christological Hymn, a reminder that Jesus came, served, was humbled and gave himself for our salvation. N. reminds us we do have a choice to place or not to put God at the center of our lives, through conversion. Interesting chapter, God exists, but Who is God? ~ Pam
ReplyDeleteThat's the question we continually try to answer, one way or another. Makes the journey interesting, if not occasionally frustrating.
ReplyDeletejka