a little explanation

I posted Nouwen's meditation late last night so I didn't get a chance to say something about it. A friend who is also single pointed out that "the loneliness will always be there." I think it's true that having great friends and a good church community helps with the loneliness but I also appreciate the frankness that acknowledges that it is not quite "the same." It is also true that there are a lot of married people who are very lonely and I wouldn't trade being single for a bad marriage for anything!

My point is, it helps to know that yes, despite all my efforts, I won't banish all the difficult emotions surrounding life--whatever that may be--and that I don't actually need to do so. Until I read my friend's unexpected message, I was being very hard on myself because . . . . I couldn't help feeling bad sometimes. I think I'm doing everything I need to do at this point. My life is full, I am learning, I'm meeting people, and I'm doing my best to live in the present. But even when you do all these things right, sometimes, you feel lonely or sad or afraid. Feeling these emotions isn't a sign of failure! Emotions come and go and as long as our desire for God orders all our other desires . . . . well, then. There is meaning to these emotions and the desires behind them. This meditation of Nouwen's helps us be the human beings that we've been created to be and that's why it brings freedom.