We are learning to speak less, to use fewer words, and to trust silence more. We don't need to explain everything. Like the desert monks, we are learning that most words distract rather than clarify. God does not need our explanations. We are also learning to forgive quickly and without condition. We each carry wounds, and we all need room to grow. The only way forward is to release each other from judgment. Finally, we are learning to let go of the need to be seen. We are resisting the urge to make ourselves look good. Amma Theodora said that in the monastic life, the hardest world you have to leave behind is the one you carry right inside your heart. We are trying to become content with being unknown, except to God. This quiet hiddenness feels like honesty, and it gives us peace.
May we have the courage to leave behind the world
we carry inside and walk humbly
in the quiet truth of who we are.
(inspired by Belden Lane, The Desert Tradition)