Letters to a Soul

126 Pages·39.973 MB·English

by  Hubert Van Zeller

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Hu e tVanZelle
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LETTERS
TO A
SOUL
Hu h e r t Van Z e l l e r
H u b e r t van Z e l l e r is one o f t h e w o r l d ' s
leading m o d e r n w r iters o n p r a y e r and
C h r i s t i a n living. Here, i n w h a t m a y be
his m o s t unusual b o o k , he shares his
insights and pe rs o n al experiences w i t h a
y o u n g man w h o ha s l e f t t h e m o n a s t e r y
and is concerned w i t h t he q u a l i t y o f
h!s l i f e in t h e w o r l d . A t every t u r n
van Zeller's f r i e n d c o n f r o n ts d i f f i c u l t i e s :
he feels his f a i t h challenged, he becomes
involved w i t h a married w o man, he f i n d s
p r a y e r a p r o b l e m . Van Z el ler's advice
helps t h e y o u n g man (and t h e reader)
t o discover fascinating n e w perspectives
o n f a i t h and t h e a t t e m p t t o live i t .
L E T T E R S T O A S O U L is straight-
~
f o r w a r d , practical, and eve r y page
breathes w i t h t h e c l a r i t y and directness
w h i c h are t h e h a l l m a r k s o f t he van Z e l l e r
style.
A SELECTION OF THE THO MA S MORE BOOK C LU B

LETTERS TO A SOUL
H u b e r t van Zeller
T E M P L E G A T E PUBLISHERS
Springfield, Illinois
.,
1976 by Hubert van Zeller
©
First published in England
by Sheed Ward Ltd.
&
Blenheim Street
6
London Wl OSA
Y
Published in the United States o f America
by Templegate Publishers
P.O. Box 963
Springfield, 1l linois 62705
All rights reserved, including the right
o f reproduction in whole or in part,
in any form.
SBN 87243-067-7
T o t h e soul to whom they were w r i t t e n
Digitized by the Internet Archive
in 2013
http://archive.org/details/letterstosoulOOvanz
L E T T E R
1
D e a r X ,
You have asked me to tell you where I t h i n k you
have made mistakes i n t h e past a n d how to avoid mak
i n g t h e same mistakes i n t h e future. Since the r e q u e s t
has come from you I can b e frank i n w h a t I write.
You for y o u r p a r t will have to b e h u m b l e . You d o
n o t have t o take w h a t advice I give. You d o n o t have
t o agree w i t h my opinions. All you have to do is to see
w h e t h e r o r n o t t h e things I write apply. I f they d o n ' t
apply, forget them. I n a correspondence o f this sort
t h e r e are two mistakes to b e avoided: o n e b y you a n d
o n e by me. I m e a n i t w o u l d b e s t r e t c h i n g t h e p u r p o s e
o f w h a t I suppose we m u s t call ' d i r e c t i o n ' i f you were
t o feel yourself cramped by w h a t I suggest. T h e p o i n t
o f s p i r i t u a l d i r e c t i o n is t o b r i n g a b o u t g r e a t e r free
dom, n o t g r e a t e r constraint. W h a t I shall t r y to d o is
t o h e l p you to make decisions. I d o n o t exist as a p r o p ,
as someone who conveniently makes decisions for you.
D i r e c t i o n can all too easily l i m i t freewill instead o f
p r o v i d i n g a m o r e Godward, a n d therefore a greater,
range for its exercise. So m u c h for t h e possible mis
take a t t h e receiving end. A t t h e delivering end, a t
my end, t h e mistake t o b e avoided is softening t h e
p r i n c i p l e t o s u i t t h e s e n s i b i l i t i e s - t o make t h i n g s
s o u n d easier t h a n they are m e a n t t o be.
You m e n t i o n y o u r discouragement a n d t h e sense
o f failure. You say you a r e t r y i n g to resist t h e obvious
t e m p t a t i o n to b e discontented a n d b i t t e r , a n d t h a t
everything you a t t e m p t only increases y o u r feeling o f
inadequacy. B u t i s n ' t this because you expected a
certain k i n d o f success a n d have n o t f o u n d it?
W o u l d n ' t i t b e b e t t e r t o accept y o u r limitations a n d
b e c o n t e n t w i t h i n t h e m ? I t is a n a r t i n life to p u t
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u p with b e i n g second best. I d o n ' t mean t h a t we must
make compromises w i t h o u r weaknesses, b u t I do
m e a n t h a t we have to a d m i t we are mediocrities. T o
accept t h e role we have to play, even i f it's a small
p a r t when we have the talent to play the more import
a n t a n d successful one, is n o t to invite failure o r frus
tration. I t is to s u b m i t to the condition of life which
G o d has p l a n n e d for us. Once we have made this
s u b m i s s i o n - w h i c h is n o t a lowering of a n ideal b u t
o n t h e contrary, because i t essentially involves h u m i
lity, is a raising of the ideal of serving G o d i n t r u t h
we are less disappointed a t t h e evidence of o u r inade
quacy~ Accepting o u r mediocrity, while all the t i m e
trying to make t h e most of o u r opportunity, n o t only
brings a certain peace b u t is what t h e parable of t h e
talents is all about. So l o n g as we d o n ' t b u r y t h e
insignificant talent, a n d p u t t h e blame o n God for its
insignificance, we can go o n t r a d i n g w i t h i t as effec
tively as t h e more talented. Notice how o u r L o r d
commends n o t t h e m a n w i t h the ten o r the m a n w i t h
t h e five talents b u t t h e m a n w i t h t h e few: 'Because
you have b e e n faithful w i t h t h e f e w '_- which were all
I gave you, is t h e i m p l i c a t i o n - ' ! will t u r n t h e m i n t o
many'. I t will m a r k a great step forward w h e n you
face the fact t h a t you are n o t t h e h e r o o r t h e saint o r
t h e leader t h a t you t h o u g h t you were. You will t h e n
be able to get o n w i t h t h e business of being the person
you actually are. A n d this will mean less discontent.
So what i t all amounts t o - a t least this is the im
pression I get t h o u g h I may be w r o n g - i s t h a t you are
trying too hard. You are wanting to p u s h God's will
about. You are setting the pace instead of l e t t i n g G o d
set it. T r y n o t to struggle a n d kick so violently a n d you
may find more peace. I t ' s no good fighting t h e life G o d
gives you. I t only makes i t worse. T h e life you have
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