To Whom do I belong?

Golding Constable's Flower Garden (1815)

A reflection by Henri Nouwen that caused me to pause this morning:

At issue here is the question: "To whom do I belong? God or to the world?" Many of my daily preoccupations suggest that I belong more to the world than to God. A little criticism makes me angry, and a little rejection makes me depressed. A little praise raises my spirits, and a little success excites me. It takes very little to raise me up or thrust me down. Often I am like a small boat on the ocean, completely at the mercy of its waves. All the time and energy I spend in keeping some kind of balance and preventing myself from being tipped over and drowning shows that my life is mostly a struggle for survival: not a holy struggle, but an anxious struggle resulting from the mistaken idea that it is the world that defines me.

I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

Psalm 81:10

College Friends

My dear friend from college got married recently.  I was thrilled to be included in her bridal party.  Through this momentous occasion, I got to see many of my college friends, some of whom I have not seen in 25 years.  We have changed somewhat physically but the love and concern that we held for one another during our college years have not diminished much despite the interim years.  Ours was a rather motley group: young men and women from various parts of the US, interspersed with a few internationals (including myself), from diverse ethnic and socioeconomic backgrounds coming together to seek friendship through our common Christian faith.  We became a close-knit group, but not an exclusive group.  We were open to include new friends and as a result expanded into a fairly large group. 

We had fun, helped each other with our studies (I would not have done so well on my papers if it weren’t for the selfless editing help from these friends), dissected the meaning of life with  endless refills of coffee at Yesterdays, counseled each other about our “love life” or lack of, and of course studied the Bible and prayed together.  These friendships were founded on a trust that transcends ourselves to the God who binds us together, with a vulnerability that is only possible as men and women who open up to each other with our hearts’ concerns, seeking prayer. 

We graduated, went our separate ways, some I kept up with more closely than others.  I have made new friends since, some becoming as close as these from college.  But these college friendships will always hold a special place in my heart because with them, I came to experience for the first time what it means to be in the family of God, where genuine love in Christ proliferates. 

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
John 13:34-35

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