With Open Hands

I had no idea this book would be so short, & I certainly didn’t imagine it would pack such a wallop! Imagine being punched in the face by love. That’s the best way to describe this tiny book. It happened so fast, yet the result (instead of pain & a fractured eye socket) is a blinding flash of divine joy that will stick with me for a bit. You bet I’ll be turning to this again & recommending it to everyone ever.

I chose this book because I had heard of Nouwen in some church sermons and wanted to learn more. This book is instructive in a manner of prayer that I find necessary and for me hard to do. Clearing the mind of loathing of some political candidates and their corrupt policies is ever so difficult. Yet nouwen puts this before us as a needy thing to do before prayer, as bard as that is. I believe he writes truth, not alter.alternative truth but real truth.

I have read 2 other of Henri Nouwen's books so I knew I would like "With Open Hands" --- now I plan to read more. They are not the kind of books you just read ---- there is SO much to think about.

Henri Nouwen published many books that were very short, yet were/are quite helpful to the growing spiritual life of many. This book, a short book on the life of prayer, is quite useful at helping us open ourselves to the Holy One.The book is really an exposition of one image-the life of prayer is a life lived with open hands. Nouwen then leads us to understand open hands are a necessity because open hands/lives mean we are not captured by fear, fear being the opposite of love, but open to God. As we open our hands to God we begin to accept the good gifts of life and live lives of hope. We are able to care for others because we are no longer focused on ourselves. This life changing power is revolutionary he says because it forces us to question the world around us and address that world.While it would be overly reductionist to say the sum total of the book is stated above, gaining more requires lengthy reading, meditation and surrender to the image of open hands. If you want a how to book, this is not it. If you want something to help you surrender to prayer and experience prayer in its depths, this book is quite useful and I would recommend it

This book completely blew away any expectations I had! I cannot believe such a small, quick read could be this powerful, life changing, and really make you think and feel the love and compassion of God!! I’ve truly never thought of God or people in the same way since reading it. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!

A wonderful little book that's filled with spiritual gems.

I read With Open Hands to get a better understanding of prayer. I walk away from it having gained a better understanding of prayer and of myself. One of the more stunning questions asked in the book was "Why do I avoid silence?" To answer this question is to open a door that will never be entirely closed. To allow yourself to be led through the opening and learn how beautiful the silence can be is to walk into eternity.

This is a classic Nouwen text.

This is an absolutely delightful little book, and I'd thoroughly recommend it to people. Henri Nouwen moves through six themes/progressions of prayer. Below is my summary...The clenched fist: At the start of prayer we may come to God holding on tightly to things that have angered or upset us. We hold on to what we feel are injustices in our lives, anger, resentment. We don't want to let go of these things though, because that would seem like "giving in" to those who we feel have not treated us fairly. Maybe we're also hiding something in our clenched fists - something we don't want God or others to see.Silence: In order to deal properly with this clenched fist and start it opening we need to find a place of quiet. In silence we embrace the beautiful, but are also confronted with the ugly in our lives. The deepest darkness and the brightest light can both exist in silence. Silence can be troubling for those not at peace, yet silence is where peace will ultimately be found.Acceptance: Receiving can be more difficult than giving. Being led can be more difficult than leading. When we ourselves give or lead we are in control, of ourselves and others. We're wary of receiving from others as we lose control and may feel indebted to others, when we don't wish to have that debt. As we open our hands to God we're relinquishing control and letting God have control. We're open to receiving all He has to offer us, but in order to do that we must open our clenched fists, let go of what we're holding tightly on to, and open our hands to God leading us. Coming to God with empty hands is not just about coming to God with nothing to offer, but coming to God letting go of those negative feelings we've been holding so tightly to.Hope: We may pray for many small or specific things. Some work out the way we wish, others do not. Sometimes we feel successful, other times we feel a failure. Hope, though, is trusting that in all these apparent successes and failures, good times and bad, we can trust in God that everything, everything, we work out in God's time. God is with us always, and even when we feel things aren't going our way, we trust they are going God's way and that is the ultimately the best way for us too.Compassion: If we are to have a future, it is a future we share with others. If prayer is to reflect the fullest reality it must encompass others. In others we find the same need for help as in ourselves. If we feel we're only on the right or best path when we don't need the assistance of others then we're separating ourselves off from others with whom we share our destiny. Such a path can only lead to increased loneliness, isolation, a deepening sense of failure and a rejection of the the love of others. We become bitter and more angry, even when others are offering help and support. We restrict ourselves to an artificial small space where we can't recognise our weaknesses and failings in relation to others. When we accept our need for others in our own life we can then see the needs of other's in their lives, with true compassion. In the other we see a reflection of ourselves. Together we are all human, and only God is perfect. Our neighbour shares our humanity before God with us - he shares in our failings, and he shares in our virtues. We can recognise both the torturer and the tortured in others and in ourselves. We are human, only God is God. Compassion is firmly rooted in prayer - it is only when we are able to let go of our own anger, resentment and bitterness, see our own faults and recongise them before a God we truly trust to be merciful, that we can then accept others compassionately. We must first let go of our own pretences, before accepting the shared humanity (and all that implies) in the other.Prophetic Wisdom: As we see ourselves as we are, and as we see others as they are - all sharing in humanity, we see the world as it is. But as Christians we can say "there is another way". Compassionately recognising the humanity of ourselves and others does not imply a satisfaction with the way things are, but knowing from this starting point there is a promise of a vision of a New Creation, that is already close by. We can be compassionate to the state of others while still calling for conversion (while recognising the need for continued conversion in ourselves).Nouwen moves from the clenched fist stubbornly holding on to resentments, through the silence where we recognise these unhealthy attachments, accepting the leadership and gifts of God, having hope for the future even when things don't seem to be going our way, learning compassion for others by recognising our shared humanity, and finally into seeing the broadest picture of God's call to humanity.

I couldn't really get into this book which was disappointing

Beautiful book, one to return to time and time again. A clear voice from God can be heard through Henri.

A gift for a friend.

A great read and very helpful