Life of the Beloved: Spiritual Living in a Secular World

In Henri Nouwen's Life of the Beloved, he attempts to write a book that is spiritually relevant to a secular world. Sadly, he fails. The book still has major appeal for a spiritual audience, but he admits (as does the intended recipient of the book) that it failed to achieve the purpose for which it was written. The reason for this is that Nouwen cannot help but write from the perspective of a Christian, and his presuppositions come through and are not accepted by a secular reader. Before accepting Nouwen's comforting and encouaraging words about God and spirituality, basic questions of God's existence, God's interaction, and humanity's place in all of that must be answered. Nouwen acknowledges that Life of the Beloved does not address those things, but rather assumes them.
Still, it is an excellent read. Nouwen's prose is easy to read, and his writing style intersperses spiritual depth with cognitive simplicity. For a spiritual audience, the book resonates very well and addresses important matters such as our purpose in life, our relationships with others, and even our life and death as a way of giving ourselves to others. A theme I have seen in other writers is repeated here, namely the idea that we are already the Beloved, yet we must also become the Beloved. Other writers have touched on the idea that we are already children of God, we are already made in God's image, we are already reconciled to God, and the Christian (or spiritual) life is simply about recognizing that truth and living into it, rather than having to earn it.
I like when Nouwen compares the call of the Christian to the communion bread in Christ's hands. In the words of the Catholic liturgy, Christ took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples. The book has challenged me to ponder how Christ has taken hold of me, blessed me, broken me, and then given me to the world.

Took: When were you totally grasped by the grace and love of Jesus Christ?

Blessed: How has God blessed your life? Specifically, with what talents and gifts has God blessed you that He might use?

Broken: How has God broken you of your pride and selfishness, and how has He broken your heart to the needs of others?

Given: How does God intend to give you to the world? What specific blessings is He telling you to share with others?

Meaningful quotes:
"But I know now, at least, that attempting to avoid, repress or escape the pain is like cutting off a limb that could be healed with proper attention. The deep truth is that our human suffering need not be an obstacle to the joy and peace we so desire, but can become, instead, the means to it." (p. 77)

"I never realized that broken glass could shine so brightly."
(quoted from Leonard Bernstein's Mass.) (p. 83)

"It is sad to see that, in our highly competitive and greedy world, we have lost touch with the joy of giving. We often live as if our happiness depended on having. But I don't know anyone who is really happy because of what he or she has. True joy, happiness and inner peace come from the giving of ourselves to others. A happy life is a life for others." (p. 87)

This book not only has touched my life but the many friends I have given it to, I have read many of Henri Nouwen's books and this is still one of my favorites..A true message of God's unconditional love.

I read through the scathing one star review prior to ordering this book and while some of the points that were made in that review are valid, I have to disagree with that review. Nouwen was asked to write something about spirituality for his Jewish friends which he did. While he did not cite any biblical passages by giving chapter and verse, he did quote some verses although not completely verbatim. I do not believe that he wrote this with the intent of trying to convert a Jew to a Christian. He wrote it in an attempt to show how we are all God's children, made in His image and that because of that, all are worthy of His love. The choice is ours as to accept or reject His love as it is to return or not return that love back to Him.
In the epilogue his friend for whom this was written told him honestly that what Nouwen had written had nothing in it that they as a Jew could relate to. Nouwen then not knowing what to do with his writing showed the work to some Christian friends to whom this piece spoke to as it did me which thus became the book. I found it to be uplifting and will be for those that are also seeking plainly written explanations that, while biblically based, are not referenced to. There are opinions of Nouwen throughout the book but these opinions are that of a seasoned minister who has spent his life doing the work of the Lord and are rooted in the bible. This book will help those that have read the bible and find the writing style to be much like a newspaper report: just the facts. This book as well (as the works of Max Lucado and Philip Yancey), is insightful and will reach into the heart and show just how beloved we all are in God's eyes.

Henri Nouwen wrote this book as a letter to a secular friend. The friend asked him to explain the nature of his spiritual strength in a way that non religious people can understand and embrace. Not an easy task, but Nouwen does as good a job as anything I've ever read. He's a very credible source, because although a highly spiritual and faith filled person, he has also been in the world, and seems to have been bloodied just like the rest of us.

Nouwen tries to convey our relationship to God and the nature of our souls by comparing us to the Eucharist - we are Taken, Blessed, Broken, and Given. A few excerpts -

"When the deepest currents of our life no longer have any influence on the waves at the surface, then our vitality will eventually ebb, and we will end up listless and bored even when we are busy."

"When we keep claiming the light, we will find ourselves becoming more and more radiant. What fascinates me so much is that every time we decide to be grateful it will be easier to see new things to be grateful for. Gratitude begets gratitude, just as love begets love."

"It is remarkable how easy it is to bless others, to speak good things to and about them, to call forth their beauty and truth, when you yourself are in touch with your own blessedness."

Nouwen challenges us to pause, to look into the depths of our souls. He says that we will find God there, and then we will see the world, with all its harshness, in the right perspective. There is a certain comfort in that, but Nouwen is far from holding up faith as a magic bullet comfort pill for our spiritual restlessness. We will still be broken, but we will see our brokenness in a new light.

This book does not "push" and particular set of beliefs, and ought to appeal to people regardless of their religion by virtue of its deep insights into our deepest selves.

I loved the tone in which this book was written- very upbeat, to the point and direct. I also really liked how it did not exclude anyone from God's love. This book is a great reminder that we're all loved very much by God, and we should all express our love and thanks for each other as much as possible. As a Christian it's sometimes easy to forget some of the simple things and these words of encouragement were fantastic to read. This book was recommended to me by a wonderful person and I have read it twice since getting it- my only complaint is it's a bit short!