What do you long for?
A new iPhone, a new car, a bigger house, a better job, dreams to come true, less stress, less conflict, deeper connection with your spouse & children, for a partner, to travel, to make a difference, depression to dissipate, to see a paediatric hospice in Qld, for no terrorism, world peace, your Mum's chemo to be finished? We all long for something, either physical things, superficial and or in deeper spaces, the psychosocial, spiritual level.
The intensity often depends on perceived need or expectation.
Walking today acutely aware of longings bubbling deep within. Nothing that can be 'instantly gratified', rather long term dreams & desires that need to be surrendered and worked towards. Also acutely grateful for current blessings that sustain and satisfy. I often feel like life is one big paradox. Of being content with the here and now, yet always striving towards a better tomorrow not just for my own family, but for others also.
I think longings if listened to reveal much about who we are. Deep inner longings and desires if attended too can lead us to a new adventures, relationships, challenges and rewards. The key is to not be afraid. Or feel the fear and do it anyway as Susan Jeffers in her book would encourage. To explore longings that linger because they are there for a reason. If they are ignored they come to nag us sometime, somewhere else in life......
Helping our children explore their longings/dreams/desires is healthy and needful too. I have blogged about this before, how we as parents want our children to aim for the stars yet be rooted in reality too. Help them reach their full potential yet help them make mistakes courageously too. To risk, to fail, to succeed and to dare greatly. Again the paradox, the tension of life.
My spiritual director has written much on longing and the journey of desire, finding the greater desire. This maybe a bit intense for some, but has helped me immeasurably understand the nature of longing, what to do with it when at times it can be completely overwhelming and how to guide my children in their desires too.
The invitation is for us all to find the Divine in our longings. Physical things only momentarily satisfy. Deeper yearnings for peace, contentment, purpose, love, connection, satisfy to the very depths of our soul, our beings. The mystics of old assert that our desires, our wants, our longings our outward and inward searching when uncovered, expressed and recognised lead us to the Divine at the core.
Augustine wraps it up so beautifully, "our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God".
Cherishing longings for what they teach us
Cherishing desires for good and not for bad
Cherishing the invitation to seek the deeper things of life
I long for the sight of someone I will never see again...to talk and laugh with them again. I long for my children to find content and peace bur have to trust that I helped them develop the skills and self knowledge to do this for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI can live with these longings as to live without longing would seem to be a life not fully lived and to be a life without hope, I think you are right...life is a paradox but to be overwhelmed with longing on a daily basis must be profoundly sad.
Thanks for sharing your longing - agree that to live without some fulfillment of our longings can be very sad and that we need hope. I wonder than if longing comes with a trusting, like you say with your children. Trust you will see your loved one again.....
ReplyDeleteAnd maybe we should reflect on how our own parents helped us....let us ask they how they see us...are we rising to the stars....do we still root ourselves in reality...this is not a new path...we are not the first parents...we have others to guide us:)
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