To experience life in paradox, that is my aim: to remain in childlike simplicity and attain spiritual maturity.
It’s the ‘both-and’ life. To rise up, we have to descend down low. To live, we must die. To find myself, I need to lose myself.
“This true inner self must be drawn up like a jewel from the bottom of the sea, rescued from confusion, from indistinction, from immersion in the common, the nondescript, the trivial, the sordid, the evanescent,” Thomas Merton said. “We must be saved from immersion in the sea of lies and passions which is called ‘the world.’”
Perhaps during the deep dive we learn to set aside childish ways, and then we resurface having rediscovered the wonder, curiosity, and gratitude of a child. In touch with our creative, mysterious spirit, what remains is all we require to build a meaningful life: faith, hope, and love.
Life is about putting together the pieces, connecting the dots, and tidying the loose ends. Maybe you write, design, or compose. Perhaps you are called to rebuild and restore. Yet in all things, our work is to find meaning in the materials.
This doesn’t happen with a formula or instruction book. No, wisdom shows up to show the way, and by grace teaches us to sow something everlasting.
Why wisdom? Well, wisdom is the key to humility — it guides us to apply knowledge and, more importantly, reveals what we do not yet know.
Like a spiritual assistant that sweetly whispers “yes” or “no,” wisdom is the visceral compass that orients our seeking. It is rooted in pure intentions, grows into that gentle nudge in the gut, and spreads as the calm sense of knowing we feel in response to humble questions and feeble prayers.
Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope.
Reinhold Niebuhr
When I think through potential problems, I decide from anxiety and fear. When I listen to my faith, I move forward in trust, making room for mysteries to manifest.
Faith justifies, faith glorifies, and as it stretches us, peeling from our endurance, faith strengthens. It gives me courage to act, and from what I do, you will see what I believe.
Is waiting an act of faith?
Nothing which is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith.
Reinhold Niebuhr
Letting go is hard, and that is exactly what waiting is, because the practice of peace prepares us to receive the desires of the heart.
We believe in our dreams and pursue destiny, but like any other grace, they are given freely and granted unexpectedly.
The way of love is one of surrender. Take delight in the virtue of hope and cling to your faith, for when the chaff is cleared, you will see all you have longed for.
Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love.
Reinhold Niebuhr
