Henri Nouwen writes that he found it very important in his own life to try to let go of his wishes and instead live in hope. He discovered that when he let go of his sometimes petty and superficial wishes and trust that his life was precious and meaningful in the eyes of God, something new, something beyond his own expectations, began to happen in him. To wait with openness and trust is an enormously radical attitude toward life. It is choosing to hope that something is happening for us that is far beyond our own imaginings. It is giving up control over our future and letting God define our life. It is living with the conviction that God molds us in love, holds us in tenderness, and moves us away from the sources of our fear. Our spiritual life is a life in which we wait, actively present to the moment, expecting that new things will happen to us that are far beyond our imagination or prediction. This is a very radical stance toward life in a world preoccupied with control. The newness and oneness we seek are found in the depths of our souls—a soul waiting and longing for the Lord.