Nurturing Congruence of Spiritual Integrity

“The person who can articulate the movements of their inner life, who can give names to their varied experiences, need no longer be a victim of them self, but are able slowly and consistently to remove the obstacles that prevent the spirit from entering. He is able to create space for Him whose heart is greater than his, whose eyes see more than his, and whose hands can heal more than his.”

― Henri J.M. Nouwen (1932–1996)

Fullness of life comes to the person who has made space for God to inhabit them. This person can sit and contemplate, fully open within themselves, and reach understandings profoundly deep – and not necessarily all positive – but just as likely, true.

You may say, “Isn’t the Holy Spirit inhabiting this one, already?” Of course! But the fact in question remains; is God welcome; is God a functional presence in the life of a person; is this person open to the influence of the Spirit of the living God? And, if so, how much so?

For the person close to God there is the ability of mindfulness in the body; to know the intricacies of the moment, whether there is anxiousness, and where it lies, and where there is grace.

For someone practicing being present with God there is always the faculty for communion with God, and therefore it holds that they are able, also, to commune with themselves. Such an internal communion is connectedness; the congruence of spiritual integrity – in a word, oneness, but never devoid of God.

Heart, Eyes, Hands

There is something about the living God, the Presence living deeply inside us, who has embodied us as if in all our cells, the life force in our soul, that makes us an entire realm higher for having his Presence.

Our heart becomes a vessel for God’s heart and we feel with superior compassion. Our eyes become empty to things of the world so the things of God might be seen. Our hands are free to grasp what the moment holds. All this is borne on the reflective life; a life held open; a life remade for God.

With heart, eyes, and hands for God, not to mention the ears, feet, and mind, we give without thought for receiving, because trust in the Lord is implied. Not that receiving is even the point. We would be happy to just enjoy these blessings of oneness for the rest of our lives.

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The surrendering of the heart,

And the opening of the mind,

Allows God’s Spirit to impart,

The spiritual impetus to find.

Free in the moment,

Free entirely at last,

Spreading forward to the future,

Not held back by the past.

For some it’s a panacea,

For others there’s the taste,

The fullness of experience,

Let’s not make undue haste.

What is needed today,

Is the cherished art to reflect,

To turn in with meaning,

Ever within to connect.

© 2014 S. J. Wickham.