Learning to Give Ourselves
We always seem to be better at giving than becoming. We can give love even when we are not intrinsically loving. We can be generous even when we are not truly compassionate. We can be concerned about others and yet essentially still live for ourselves. We can be giving to the poor and yet withhold the very thing they most urgently seek: companionship in the journey. Nouwen reminds us that “being poor is what Jesus invites us to, and that is much, much harder than serving the poor.” If we wish to journey with the poor, we need to become poor ourselves—poor for the sake of the gospel and poor for the sake of our neighbor. This poverty does not only mean that we voluntarily lay aside our time, our power, and our priorities in order to serve others. At a deeper level, it means that we discover our own poverty, weakness, and brokenness and can thus journey in true companionship with the poor. We journey not as those who have much to give and who have all the answers, but as fellow travelers toward light and liberation.
—Charles Ringma, Dare to Journey with Henri Nouwen
It’s often easier to give than to become. We can offer love, generosity, and concern while still holding ourselves apart, keeping our own comfort, power, or control intact. But as Henri Nouwen taught, Jesus calls us not just to serve the poor, but to become poor ourselves—poor in spirit, humble in heart, aware of our own need.
When we embrace our weakness and brokenness, we can walk alongside others not as givers with all the answers, but as fellow travelers on the same road toward light and freedom. This kind of companionship offers more than material help—it offers presence, understanding, and shared humanity. And in that shared journey, both lives are changed. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics