to sit at the throne with friends

I came across an interesting segment in Henri Nouwen’s book, “Life of the Beloved.” Here is what it says:

“I have been cared for by many people with much tenderness and gentleness. I have been taught and instructed with much patience and perseverance. I have been encouraged to keep going when I was ready to give up and was stimulated to try again when I failed. I have been rewarded and praised for success…but, somehow, all of these signs of love were not sufficient to convince me that I was the Beloved [of God]…"

These people were, however, the one's who directed me to the One who could, and did, convince me—God Himself.

I would not hesitate to say that most of us have stumbled upon one of those people who carry a “savior complex” and insist that they have the insight and answers to everyone else’s problems (I almost married one). They buck ownership for their own faults by parading the weaknesses of others and smothering those around them in their self-righteousness and their own self-labeled “perfection.” If you’ve ever found yourself tangled up with one of these people, you probably ended up exhausted, weary, and not liking yourself very much. I did.

And then God “brought me out into a spacious place; he rescued me because he delighted in me” (Psalm 18:19). He brought me into relationships like the ones Nouwen speaks of—a place where I can breathe, where I am free to be who God created me to be, and where I am able to love with everything inside of me. As I think about what makes these relationships so special, I realize that these are the people who point me to God. Not to perfection. Not to a pre-conceived ideal. The relationships that pull the most weight in my life, the ones that touch me so deeply, are the relationships I have with people who care less about their concern for me than GOD’S concern for me. They don’t take it upon themselves to be my “savior,” and in turn, I am not expected to be my own (or theirs). When I have been lost, they have taken my hand and tenderly led me to the throne of God. And they sit with me there.

So, to those of you who sit with me…Thank You. There is no other place I’d rather be than at God’s feet with you.