The Inner Voice of Love, by Henri J. M. Nouwen :: New series of posts

I recently purchased a copy of Henri J. M. Nouwen's The Inner Voice of Love: A Journey Through Anguish to Freedom. Today, I began to read it.

In the Introduction to the book, Nouwen writes, "This book is my secret journal. It was written during the most difficult period of my life, from December 1987 to June 1988. That was a time of extreme anguish, during which I wondered whether I would be able to hold on to my life. ...I had come face to face with my own nothingness." (p. xiii)

Lost in depression and despair, Nouwen still found the strength to write about his struggles and the things he was learning about himself and his faith. The result, published years later, was this book I am now reading.

Nouwen suggests that the reader savour the book, not reading it all at once. Each entry is only a page or two long, and as the book itself was written over a long period of time, it should also be read over a long period of time. He also suggests using the table of contents to choose which entry to read.

And so, as a strong believer that the author knows his or her work better than anyone else, I am taking Nouwen's suggestion and plan to read one entry a week, on Saturday. I will then take the following week to absorb, process, and act upon what I read.

Next Saturday, you can expect a post on the entry titled Avoid All Forms of Self-Rejection. It will include my initial reactions and prayers as well as a summary of my week.