For Longing | A Poem by John O'Donohue
For Longing
― John O'Donohue, To Bless the Space Between Us: A Book of Blessings
Blessed be the longing that brought you here
And quickens your soul with wonder.
May you have the courage to listen to the voice of desire
That disturbs you when you have settled for something safe.
May you have the wisdom to enter generously into your own unease
To discover the new direction your longing wants you to take.
May the forms of your belonging—in love, creativity, and friendship—
Be equal to the grandeur and the call of your soul.
May the one you long for long for you.
May your dreams gradually reveal the destination of your desire.
May a secret Providence guide your thought and nurture your feeling.
May your mind inhabit life with the sureness with which your body inhabits the world.
May your heart never be haunted by ghost-structures of old damage.
May you come to accept your longing as divine urgency.
May you know the urgency with which God longs for you.
Self Inquiry
What is the divine urgency beneath your longing?
What ghost-structures are ready for dismantling or surrender?
What longs for you?
How can you close the gap between your longing and what longs for you? What’s one step you can take today?