Henri Nouwen says it this way:

“The movement from illusion to prayer is hard to make since it leads us from false certainties to true uncertainties, from an easy support system to a risky surrender, and from the many ‘safe’ gods to the God whose love has no limits.”

Yeah, that about sums up the struggle of my journey so far!

Here’s a bit from Charles de Foucauld’s work, “Meditations of a Hermit”:

“Our Lord asks great faith from us, and he is right.  We owe him great faith.  After our Lord said, ‘Come’ to him, Peter had no more fear and walked upon the waters.  So that when Jesus has quite certainly called us to certain circumstances in life, given us a certain vocation, we need fear nothing, but should attack the most insurmountable obstacles without hesitation.”

In case your spiritual life was in a mode where you needed to hear the word “attack”, consider yourself served… by a hermit.

My watch says that 2010 has less than thirty hours remaining in its existence.  In considering what I want from 2011, I’ve observed a steady strand running through flashing thoughts.

In the year ahead, I am craving God’s touch.

I am seeking to seek more.  I am longing for courage to walk long paths.  To pray more real-ly, to humbly invite God’s Spirit, to shut down foolish interruptions and to tune in quietly: These mark the strand I speak of.

Certainly, these words of Jim Cymbala’s fit as well:

“I discovered an astonishing truth: God is attracted to weakness.  He can’t resist those who humbly and honestly admit how desperately they need him.  Our weakness, in fact, makes room for his power.”

That’s what it is.

I could ramble and write for hours, but it would all come down to five words.

I want to make room.