“The question is not 'How am I to find God?' but 'How am I to let myself be found by him?' The question is not 'How am I to know God?' but “How am I to let myself be known by God?' And, finally, the question is not 'How am I to love God?' but 'How am I to let myself be loved by God?' God is looking into the distance for me, trying to find me, and longing to bring me home.”
"A waiting person is a patient person. The word patience means the willingness to stay where we are and live the situation out to the full in the belief that something hidden there will manifest itself to us."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
Awareness
"Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
Happiness
"In this crazy world, there’s an enormous distinction between good times and bad, between sorrow and joy. But in the eyes of God, they’re never separated. Where there is pain, there is healing. Where there is mourning, there is dancing. Where there is poverty, there is the kingdom."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
Faith
"The real trap, however, is self-rejection. As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, "Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody." ... [My dark side says,] I am no good... I deserve to be pushed aside, forgotten, rejected, and abandoned. Self-rejection is the greatest enemy of the spiritual life because it contradicts the sacred voice that calls us the 'Beloved.' Being the Beloved constitutes the core truth of our existence."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
Belief in Self
"The spiritual life does not remove us from the world but leads us deeper into it."
- Henri J.M. Nouwen
Spirituality
"The true spirit of Christmas lies in your heart."
Spirituality
"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air."
- W.T. Ellis
Spirituality
"That it shall not be just a day, But last a lifetime through, The miracle of Christmastime That brings God close to you."
- Ann Schultz
Spirituality
"Joy to the world, the Lord is come, let earth receive her King."
- Joy to the World
Spirituality
"Christmas magic is silent. You don't hear it–you feel it. You know it. You believe it."
- Kevin Alan Milne
Spirituality