sleeping alone

Jul 12, 2019

This guy is good. You will know Matthew McConaughey from his movies, and FFF featured him a few months ago posting his inspiring Oscar Speech.

He begins this encouragement using a story (also shared recently on FFF): “We’ve all got two wolves in us, a good one, and a bad one, and they both want to eat…”

These kinds of video clips are often written off as pop-psychology, but they really provide sound, attractive and easily digestible food for faith. This is because good psychology does not contradict good spirituality and good spirituality is not in conflict with good psychology.

At the heart of life is the fact that aloneness is not the same as loneliness. While loneliness is a painful reality, it is most often the consequence of grasping at and attaching to things, projects and people we mistakenly think will bring us happiness, only to realise that at the end of these driven and exhausting days we find ourselves feeling more lonely and isolated than ever.

As McConaughey reflects, when our head hits the pillow at night, no matter who is sharing our bed, we are alone. And while this reality might initially surface feelings of loneliness, healthy human solitude is waiting for us when we shift our perspective.

While the clip doesn’t mention Jesus, I know that it is all about Jesus Christ and His willingness to turn our loneliness into a place of intimate and divine solitude.

3 Comments

  1. Some good reflection – shared here

    Reply
  2. There is a lot of wisdom in this., reminding me of the saying, “Happiness and unhappiness are the high and low tides on the sea of contentment.” I know if I am focusing on happiness or unhappiness, I am in the shallows of living. The depth of the sea of contentment is measured by faith in Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life.

    Reply
  3. Thank you for this wonderful piece of wisdom Fr John. I know that since I have let go of my desire for happiness, my life has been filled with blessings of peace and joy, exactly what this clip explains. Also a very timely reminder to drop the things that are not looking after the things that are important in my life.

    Reply

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