Good morning…
I borrowed a book from my friend yesterday, Lifesigns by Henri Nouwen. On page 22, Nouwen offers us tangible wisdom taught by his spiritual mentor.
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When Jean Vanier speaks about an intimate place, he often stretches out his arm and cups his hand as if to hold a small wounded bird. He asks: “What will happen if I open my hand fully?” We say: “The bird will try to flutter its wings, and it will fall and die.” Then he asks again: “But what will happen if I close my hand?” We say: “The bird will be crushed and die.” Then he smiles and says: “An intimate place is like my cupped hand, neither totally opened or totally closed. It is a space where growth can take place.”
…when we are willing to confess to ourselves and the other that we too are broken, that we too have a handicap, and that we too need a place to grow, we can build a home together and offer each other an intimate place.
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We are broken. We are handicapped. We all need a place to grow.
Jesus invites us to rest in his cupped hand: “Live in me. Make your home in me just as I do in you. In the same way that a branch can’t bear grapes by itself but only by being joined to the vine, you can’t bear fruit unless you are joined with me” (John 15:4, MSG).
From this intimate place, within this cupped space, God’s fruit will gradually grow.
…Sue…
