Everything Could Be a Prayer: Henri Nouwen

“In your relationship with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus…he humbled himself.”

-Philippians 2:5-8

For spiritual writer and priest Henri Nouwen, pursuing a radical Christian life was the ultimate priority. He came to describe this as "downward mobility.” "Just as we came to see God in the downward way of Christ, so we will become conscious of truly being sons and daughters of God by becoming participants in this downward way, the way of the cross," Nouwen asserts. This upside-down kingdom is the polar opposite of the world's ways, where success is measured by how far one can climb up the ladder of riches, power, and prestige.

Nouwen relinquished a position at Harvard Divinity School in 1986, taking up residence as a mentor at a community for those with mental and physical disabilities. It was here that Nouwen found fulfillment. His final year there was recorded in his published journal, The Road to Daybreak: A Spiritual Journey.

In his book The Selfless Way of Christ, Nouwen points to the wilderness temptations Jesus faced as challenges that plague the church to this day: to be relevant, spectacular, and powerful. Jesus not only preached on these dangers but lived his life in opposition to them. The church in the West has come to see signs of upward mobility-job promotions, bigger houses, and fancier cars-as blessings from God. But these are merely the goals of the American consumer.

Nouwen invites us to step back and take a broader perspective. Rather than always grabbing for the gold ring, we can relinquish our desires and exchange them for God's will. We can choose the downward way.

Prayer: Cruciform Christ, I relinquish to you–my loving caretaker and friend--the control of my life that I so desperately desire to hold onto. I will walk through the doors that you open, and not those of my own making. Amen.