know yourself as truly loved.

"some people have lived such oppressed lives that their true selves have become completely unreachable to them. they need help to break through their oppression. their power to free themselves has to be at least as strong as the power that keeps them down. sometimes they need permission to explode: to let out their deepest emotions and to shake off the alien forces. screaming, yelling, crying and even physical fighting might be expressions of liberation.

you, however, do not seem to need such explosion. for you, the problem is not to get something out of your system, but to take something in that deepens and strengthens your sense of your goodness and allows your anguish to be embraced by love.

you will discover that the more love you can take in and hold onto, the less fearful you will become. you will speak more simply, more directly, and more freely about what is important to you, without fear of other people's reactions. ou will also use fewer words, trusting that you communicate your true self even when you do not speak much.

the disciples of Jesus had a real sense of His loving presence as they went out to preach. they had seen Him, eaten with Him, and spoken with Him after His resurrection. they had come to live a deep connectedness with Him and drew from that connectedness the strength to speak out with simplicity and directness, unafraid of being misunderstood or rejected.

the more you come to know yourself-- spirit, mind, and body-- as truly loved, the freer you will be to proclaim the good news. that is the freedom of the children of God."

-Henri Nouwen

...and this is where I'm being challenged and stretched right now.