Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Books of Influence

I added Book List to my blog site with the hope that you might find a book that meets a need in your life. Each one of these has helped me over the years and as I was thinking about this book list, I remembered that one of the books that has been so influential was loaned to me by a very good friend several years ago. I decided to order it to add as reference in my library. As I reread this book today, I realize how broken I was when I read it years ago and how little I remember of its contents. I found one line in the first chapter which made an impression seven years ago. I acted on it and as they say, the rest is history. It changed my life. The other remarkable part of the story is the friend who suggested it must have seen things in me that I was unaware were even there.

Henry Nouwen writes, “There is a twilight zone in our own hearts that we ourselves cannot see. Even when we know quite a lot about ourselves - our gifts and weaknesses, our ambitions and aspirations, our motives and drives - large parts of ourselves remain in the shadow of consciousness.

This is a very good thing. We always will remain partially hidden to ourselves. Other people, especially those who love us, can often see our twilight zones better than we ourselves can. The way we are seen and understood by others is different from the way we see and understand ourselves. We will never fully know the significance of our presence in the lives of our friends. That's a grace, a grace that calls us not only to humility but also to a deep trust in those who love us. It is in the twilight zones of our hearts where true friendships are born.”

She saw the twilight zone in my heart and encouraged and challenged me to be more than I thought possible with all that was going on in my life. I trusted her – and the Lord brought me out of the wilderness and began the process of changing me into the person He wants me to be.

Reading has always been part of my life. I encourage you to continue in your Bible reading but also pick up a good book and see what God might have in store – just for you.

For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Isaiah 43:19 (NLT

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