Many voices ask for our...
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Many voices ask for our attention. There is a voice that says, "Prove that you are a good
person." Another voice says, "You'd better be ashamed of yourself." There also is a voice
that says, "Nobody really cares about you," and one that says, "Be sure to become
successful, popular, and powerful." But underneath all these often very noisy voices is a
still, small voice that says, "You are my Beloved, my favor rests on you." That's the voice
we need most of all to hear. To hear that voice, however, requires special effort; it
requires solitude, silence, and a strong determination to listen. That's what prayer is. It is
listening to the voice that calls us "my Beloved."
(From Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey [New York: Harper Collins, 1997].)
(From Henri J. M. Nouwen, Bread for the Journey [New York: Harper Collins, 1997].)
