Henri Nouwen Society - Daily Meditation

Friday April 5, 2013 


Deeply Rooted in God

 

Trees that grow tall have deep roots.  Great height without great depth is dangerous.  The great leaders of this world - like St. Francis, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr., - were all people who could live with public notoriety, influence, and power in a humble way because of their deep spiritual rootedness.

 

Without deep roots we easily let others determine who we are.  But as we cling to our popularity, we may lose our true sense of self.  Our clinging to the opinion of  others reveals how superficial we are.  We have little to stand on.  We have to be kept alive by adulation and praise.   Those who are deeply rooted in the love of God can enjoy human praise without being attached to it.

 

- Henri J. M. Nouwen  

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Text excerpts taken from Bread for the Journey, by Henri J.M. Nouwen, �1997 HarperSanFrancisco. All Scripture from The Jerusalem Bible �1966, 1967, and 1968 Darton, Longman & Todd and Doubleday & Co. Inc. Photo by V. Dobson.