The Inner Voice Of Love

Book Review.
Nouwen, Henri J.M. The Inner Voice Of Love. A journey through anguish to freedom. Doubleday. 1996.
Comment. Henry.
This book is a collection of “spiritual imperatives” that journal the most difficult period of Henri’s life. He identifies over sixty topics and addresses each one briefly. The book was not published until eight years after he had gone through this time of ‘exile’. This book would have a special appeal to those who have gone though the experience of broken relationships and the loss of loved ones.
There are times when we all experience “a deep hole, like an abyss” (3) in our being. It is then that we must cling to the promises of God. Avoid being people pleasers. Conversion and a new life happen when we listen to our “inner voice” (6) that informs us about God. We must continually return to the ‘anchor of God’s love’ and set boundaries for our love, accepting the limitations of others.
There is great potential for peace and healing in solitude. Knowing and responding to God’s love renews our physical body. Doing what glorifies God gives us peace and rest. Doing what meets your felt needs brings frustration. We need spiritual guides. Pain from our past must be treated like death; mourn it and move on. Loneliness “opens for you the way to an even deeper knowledge of God’s love”. (37) Emotions are not to be feared but are to be befriended.
Trusting God’s gifts as revealed in our own heart is a source of stability. There is safety and security in community. As we move “toward full incarnation” (52) we need to remember where we have come from (progression) and keep pressing on. Take the risk of loving deeply. When giving and receiving are need driven they can become violent.
The knowledge of being a child of God and deeply loved by God provides protection for our innocence. Having a true friend and being a true friend requires some delicate balancing. “It is important for you to be in charge of your own drawbridge.” (84) Don’t reject yourself. Bear your own pain. Learn to distinguish real pain from false pain. Our wounds need to be dealt with deep within our hearts. Discovering the treasure of God is not the same as owning that treasure. “You always have the choice to think, speak, and act in the name of God and so move toward the Light, and the Truth, and the Life.” (114)
This book was written eight years after Henri went through a self-imposed exile during which he dealt with many spiritual issues. He died in the same year that the book was published (1996). His stated strong desire was to experience that place of relationship “where God is all in all.” (118)