Henri Nouwen writes that Jesus invites us to abide in his love, which means to dwell with all that we are in him. It is an invitation to total belonging, full intimacy, and unlimited being with him. “The anxiety that plagues me shows that a great part of me is not yet ‘abiding’ in Jesus. My mind and heart keep running away from my true dwelling place, and they explore strange lands where I end up in anger, resentment, lust, fear, and anguish. I know that living a spiritual life means bringing every part of myself home to where it belongs. Jesus describes the intimacy that he offers as the connectedness between the vine and its branches. I long to be grafted onto Jesus as a branch onto the vine so that all my life comes from the vine. In communion with Jesus, the vine, my little life can grow and bear fruit. I know it, but I do not live it. Somehow, I keep living as if there are other sources of life that I must explore outside of Jesus. But Jesus keeps saying, ‘Come back to me, give me all your burdens, all your worries, fears, and anxieties. Trust that with me, you will find rest.’ I am struggling to listen to that voice of love and to trust in its healing power. My true spiritual work is to let myself be loved, fully and completely, and to trust that in that love, I will come to the fulfillment of my vocation. I keep trying to bring my wandering, restless, anxious self home so that I can rest there in the embrace of love.”