from The Struggle with Powerlessness as quoted by a friend of mine . . . .
"Powerlessness is such a burden to modern existence because it cleaves like a barnacle to the myth of control. Being in control, being independent, is a theme that runs through Western philosophy... Powerlessness is a sickening feeling in the pit of the stomach. ...It is also a call to become something new. The gift of powerlessness invites us to enjoy the grace of surrender."
"Part of the pain of any great struggle is the reluctance to admit that we have been bested. And there is nothing whatsoever that I can do about it. What I have now is all I have. And it is not what I want. The spirit dies within me. I am convinced that I will never live again, no matter how long I go on breathing.
What I do not know, ironically, is that this loss is more grace than I know, more grace than I can bear at the moment. It is this very loss that will open up a whole new world in me. Without it, there is no life to go on to at all. Only more of the barbed and suffocating same...SURRENDER IS WHAT CLEANS OFF THE BARNACLES THAT HAVE BEEN CLINGING TO THE SOUL...' (from The Gift of Surrender chapter)
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