Thursday, August 18, 2011

In the world, but not of it


"It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; 
it is easy in solitude to live after your own; 
but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd 
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude." 
-Ralph Waldo Emerson


Beautiful.

I will always feel the tension between the world's opinion, my own, and the perfect will of God. To have peace in who I am when I step out into the street, I must leave myself time to ask and reflect and listen. I must invite Him to permeate the silence with His sweet Self. Then, I can go forward, living in the world with no fear, only love.

2 comments:

  1. i love this quote. those three things are often very difficult to reconcile, but i think being aware of that tension is the first step towards living in harmony <3

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  2. seriously. that phrase cycles through my mind constantly but is rarely lived.

    how the heck do we master it? how bout you try and I'll be right behind you ;)

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