I have waged this war against myself

I have waged this war against myself for many years.

It was terrible, but now I am disarmed.

I am no longer frightened of anything because love banishes fear.

I am disarmed of the need to be right

And to justify myself by disqualifying others.

I am no longer on the defensive holding onto my riches.

I just want to welcome and to share.

I don’t hold onto my ideas and projects.

If someone shows me something better —

No, I shouldn’t say better, but good —

I accept them without any regrets

I no longer seek to compare.

What is good, true, and real is always

for me the best.

This is why I have no fear.

When we are disarmed and dispossessed of self,

if we open our hearts to the God who makes

all things new

then he takes away past hurts

And reveals a new time where everything is

possible.

—Athenagoras I of Constantinople

I am a husband, father, pastor, leader & reader. I love God, love people & love life.

1 Comment to I have waged this war against myself

  1. “I am disarmed of the need to be right
    And to justify myself by disqualifying others.”

    A good deal there to think about. I looked him up and see that he helped to heal centuries of estrangement between his Greek Orthodox church and the Catholic church. Brings some understanding of how he was able to write such deep words. Thanks for sharing.

Leave a Reply to Louise Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>