so great is his love for those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;
Psalm 103: 11-13 (NIV)
"One of our persistent difficulties is that we are always looking to find meaning, purpose, and satisfaction elsewhere than the place where we should be looking. This reflects our restlessness. It also reflects our folly. Having come home, we find it difficult to abide there. Having come to the fountain of life, we fail to drink deeply from its waters. Having found the truth, we look for meaning elsewhere. Nouwen confesses in prayer, "I live as though there were something important to be found outside of you." We find it hard to remain close to the Father's heart. We find it hard to remain on course. The familiar soon loses its appeal for us. We lack an abiding center-point.
So the greatest response that we are frequently called to make is not the call to move forward. It is the call to return -- to return to the simplicity of our faith, the generosity of our first love, the willingness to obey, and the intimacy of our relationship with the God who lovingly calls us home. The call to return means that we can only truly live from a center-point in the love and presence of God."
"No Center-Point: Returning to the Simplicity of Faith", Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen by Charles Ringma.
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