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A review by bickleyhouse
With Open Hands by Henri J.M. Nouwen
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
I got this book for Christmas, last year. I'm a fan of Henri Nouwen, and have been for quite some time. His style of writing is easy to read and yet, somehow, doesn't lack depth. This is a very small book, weighing in at just over 120 pages, and those pages are rarely more than half-filled with text. The book is obviously presented as one that can be picked up and read at any time, without feeling like one needs to read it from cover to cover. That is, of course, what I did on this reading, but feel very likely that I will continue to pick it up and read it, almost randomly picking a spot, from day to day.
Nouwen presents prayer in a wonderful light in this book, beginning with the idea that, when we begin to pray, we much unclench our fists and have open hands. Hence the title of the book. Once the hands are unclenched, we move on to the beginning stages, where we understand the significance of silence in our prayer life.
Silence isn't necessarily the absence of sound, and it certainly isn't always peaceful. There are some kinds of silence that can be frightening. And anyone who has spent any time outside, in nature, knows that "silence" can be experienced even while hearing sounds of birds, wind, and rushing streams or creeks. More important is the ability to have inner silence when praying. This is a much bigger challenge.
From silence, we move on to acceptance. Praying with open hands means accepting our world as it is, and accepting God as He is. We become able to do more than just pray a list of wants, while leaving discouraged or disappointed if we don't get what we pray for. Acceptance also means accepting gifts, both from God and from others. We have to get rid of the idea that accepting a gift obligates us.
The book progresses from there, and I like how each chapter, each concept, builds on the previous one. The remaining chapters are Prayer and Hope, Prayer and Compassion, and the most challenging, Prayer and Prophetic Criticism, in which Nouwen challenges the reader to be willing to be openly critical of the world and society in which we live.
The book ends where it began, by discussing open hands. "In the end, a life of prayer is a life with open hands--a life where we are not ashamed of our weaknesses but realize that it is more perfect for us to be led by the Other than to try to hold everything in our own hands."
Nouwen presents prayer in a wonderful light in this book, beginning with the idea that, when we begin to pray, we much unclench our fists and have open hands. Hence the title of the book. Once the hands are unclenched, we move on to the beginning stages, where we understand the significance of silence in our prayer life.
Silence isn't necessarily the absence of sound, and it certainly isn't always peaceful. There are some kinds of silence that can be frightening. And anyone who has spent any time outside, in nature, knows that "silence" can be experienced even while hearing sounds of birds, wind, and rushing streams or creeks. More important is the ability to have inner silence when praying. This is a much bigger challenge.
From silence, we move on to acceptance. Praying with open hands means accepting our world as it is, and accepting God as He is. We become able to do more than just pray a list of wants, while leaving discouraged or disappointed if we don't get what we pray for. Acceptance also means accepting gifts, both from God and from others. We have to get rid of the idea that accepting a gift obligates us.
The book progresses from there, and I like how each chapter, each concept, builds on the previous one. The remaining chapters are Prayer and Hope, Prayer and Compassion, and the most challenging, Prayer and Prophetic Criticism, in which Nouwen challenges the reader to be willing to be openly critical of the world and society in which we live.
The book ends where it began, by discussing open hands. "In the end, a life of prayer is a life with open hands--a life where we are not ashamed of our weaknesses but realize that it is more perfect for us to be led by the Other than to try to hold everything in our own hands."