The real enemies of our life are the 'oughts' and the 'ifs.' They pull…

Henri Nouwen
309 citations
The real enemies of our life are the 'oughts' and the 'ifs.' They pull us backward into the unalterable past and forward into the unpredictable future. But real life takes place in the here and now. ✨ Henri J.M. Nouwen (2017). You Are the Beloved: Daily Meditations for Spiritual Living, Convergent Books
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Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn wit … ▶
We have to keep asking ourselves: 'What does it all mean? What is God trying to tell us? How are we called to live in the midst of all this?' Without such questions our lives become numb and flat. ✨ … ▶
Gratitude goes beyond the 'mine' and 'thine' and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts receiv … ▶
Trust that the treasure we look for is hidden in the ground on which we stand. ✨ Henri J. M. Nouwen (2009). Bread for the Journey: A Daybook of Wisdom and Faith, p.5, Harper Collins
The spiritual life is a life beyond moods. It is a life in which we choose joy and do not allow ourselves to become victims of passing feelings of happiness or depression. ✨ Henri J.M. Nouwen (2017). … ▶

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