“In my own life I know how hard it is for me to trust that I am loved, and to trust that the intimacy I most crave is there for me. I most often live as if I have to earn love, do something noteworthy, and then perhaps I might get something in return…
Do I really believe that I am loved first, independent of what I do or what I accomplish? This is an important question because as long as I think that what I most need I have to earn, deserve, and collect by hard work, I will never get what I most need and desire, which is a love that cannot be earned, but that is freely given.
Thus, my return is my willingness to renounce such thoughts and to choose to live more and more from my true identity as a cherished child of God.”
Henri Nouwen in “Returning to Trust” Reflections on the Third Sunday of Lent, email from Henri Nouwen Society on 23 March 2014.
Once I come to realize that what I most need can only be found in Christ, is freely received by grace, and comes to me not because I earned it, can I become a conduit that freely gives to others. God help me grasp your gracious generosity to me and extend it to others in a manner that brings you glory.