Keeping Relationships Healthy
Submitted by Ford Prefect on February 21 2001 09:05:10
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For the past week, Nouwen's daily meditations have dealt with family meals. Today's is on relationships. Daily Meditation: February 21 by Henri Nouwen; from Bread for the Journey, Harper Collins, New York, 1997 True Intimacy Human relationships easily become possessive. Our hearts so much desire to be loved that we are inclined to cling to the person who offers us love, affection, friendship, care, or support. Once we have seen or felt a hint of love, we want more of it. That explains why lovers so often bicker with each other. Lovers' quarrels are quarrels between people who want more of each other than they are able or willing to give. It is very hard for love not to become possessive because our hearts look for perfect love and no human being is capable of that. Only God can offer perfect love. Therefore, the art of loving includes the art of giving one another space. When we invade one another's space and do not allow the other to be his or her own free person, we cause great suffering in our relationships. But when we give another space to move and share our gifts, true intimacy becomes possible. |
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