Encountering God

“Come, then, not to know the map of the land of the spirit, but to possess it and be at home in it without fear of losing your way. Come, not to study the theory of divine grace, not to learn what it has done through the ages and is doing today, but in order to be the simple subjects of its operations. You have no need to know the words it has taught others and to repeat them cleverly; grace will give you words which will be your own.” (Jean-Pierre de Caussade. Self-Abandonment to Divine Providence. Rockford, IL: TAN Books and Publishers, Inc., 1959, 1741, p. 39)

This quote cuts to my heart because so often I am content to know about the Spiritual Life and not actually engage His Spirit. I have not actually read the book that this quote is from. I got it from Alan Fadling a friend and mentor of Dave and I. He is a spiritual director for spiritual directors with The Leadership Institute. He actually lead Dave to Christ and made a huge impact in my spiritual growth as our college youth pastor. Anyway i wanted to share his web page with you because his "Notes from my Journey" entries are a source of great encouragement to me. His reflections on this quote are very insightful. Check it out. Click on "journal excerpts" under quick links 6/20/05 The newest one from 7/14/05 also resonated with my heart.