Pam's Perambulation

There’s something about the Christmas break that gives you chance to take stock.  Being out of the regular routine and the turning of another new year cause us to think back – and forward.  Where have we been, and where would we like to go?

John Thorn [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)%5D, via Wikimedia Commons

I don’t know about you, but I like to have a route all planned out – especially a route through life.  What’s going to happen, when and how – and I get quite fidgety (ok grumpy!) if it’s not working out.

Henri Nouwen talks about surrendering ourselves to the future, not as a loss of autonomy, but as an act of openness and maturity.  For if you are dead set on one path, who knows what you may miss if you don’t take a different way that opens up.

I guess we all get to a point when we think the best days of our lives are over and it’s downhill all the way.  Nouwen reminds us,

The most important part of our lives may still be ahead of us

So, do we live our lives looking for what God is going to do with us, where he’s going to lead us?  Are we open to what he’s going to do?

I’m disappointed I can’t find a video of the song I wanted to add to this, so I’ll give you the link to listen http://music.hopeandsocial.com/album/all-our-dancing-days, track 8, All our Dancing Days – when you think your dancing days are over – they’re not!

Are we still willing to dance with God?  To join in the steps he leads us?

I can’t dance in reality, but I pray I can still dance to the tune God leads me in.

And the prayer from the book:

Lord,

wherever you lead,

let us follow.

Wherever we are taken,

let us go willingly.

Let us firmly believe

that the paths you point out to us

are the ones we must take.

Let us be eagerly on the road with you

This year for Advent, some friends and I are using Advent and Christmas Wisdom from Henri J. M. Nouwen.   You’re welcome to join us on this journey.  Feel free to comment here, or on Twitter using #adventbookclub

Also blogging on the #adventbookclub are:

http://www.likeasthehart.me.uk/

http://drbexl.co.uk/

http://clairemaxim1.wordpress.com/

http://runninglife.wordpress.com/

http://dorothy726blog.wordpress.com/

~ by pamjw on December 26, 2012.

Posted in Advent Book Club, Christmas, faith, God, Religion, theology
Tags: dancing, follow