The resistance to praying is like the resistance of tightly clenched fists. This image shows a tension, a desire to cling tightly to yourself, a greediness which betrays fear.
Interpretation
This quote reflects on the struggle of letting go and the fear that prevents us from being open to prayer and connection.
Henri Nouwen's quote uses the metaphor of tightly clenched fists to illustrate the inner conflict between our desire for control and the act of surrendering through prayer. The resistance to engage in prayer symbolizes a deeper fear of vulnerability and intimacy, suggesting that clinging to oneself may stem from a lack of trust and an unwillingness to embrace the unknown. By recognizing this tension, we can begin to understand the importance of letting go and the transformative power of opening ourselves up to a higher connection.
In practice
During a speech about the importance of mental health, one might use this quote to highlight the barriers we create out of fear.
The Christian leader of the future is called to be completely irrelevant and to stand in this world with nothing to offer but his or her own vulnerable self. God loves us, not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love.
The immense joy in welcoming back the lost son hides in the immense sorrow that has gone before....our brokenness may appear beautiful, but our brokenness has no other beauty but the beauty that comes from the compassion that surrounds it.
Suffering invites us to place our hurts in larger hands. In Christ we see God suffering β for us. And calling us to share in Godβs suffering love for a hurting world. The small and even overpowering pains of our lives are intimately connected with the greater pains of Christ. Our daily sorrows are anchored in a greater sorrow and therefore a larger hope.
To listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements or declarations. True listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known. They are free to receive, welcome, to accept.
Waiting is a dry desert between where we are and where we want to be. (Finding My Way Home)
Becoming the beloved is pulling the truth revealed to me from above down into the ordinariness of what I am, in fact, thinking of, talking about and doing from hour to hour.
It [the scarlet letter] had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself.
It is impossible to strive for the heroic life. The title of hero is bestowed by the survivors upon the fallen, who themselves know nothing of heroism.
We are exploring together. We are cultivating a garden together, backs to the sun. The question is a hoe in our hands and we are digging beneath the hard and crusty surface to the rich humus of our lives.
Even if torture works, what is the point of 'defending' America using a tactic that is a fundamental violation of what America ought to mean?
A person who is knowingly bent on bad behavior, gets upset when better behavior is expected of them.
Empathy requires something extremely difficult: accepting the fact that we are not and never will be in the other person's shoes. There's no rational, universal course because individuals have different goals, different worldviews and different experiences.
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