Rabia's understanding of divine love as witnessing human transformation offers parents a role as loving observer of their adult children's unfolding lives and identities.
In Rabia's mystical theology, the Divine witnesses human becoming without interference—present to the struggle, the growth, the transformation, without directing it. This offers adult parents a clarifying role: witness to their child's becoming. Your adult child is becoming who they are meant to be, and your primary function is no longer to guide that becoming (that work is theirs) but to witness it lovingly. This means noticing and naming what you see: 'I see how you're growing in courage,' 'I notice the care you take with your friendships,' 'I'm impressed by how you handle difficulty.' This quality of witnessing is different from praise or criticism; it is recognition. When adult children feel genuinely witnessed by parents—seen for who they actually are becoming, not for who parents hoped they would be—they flourish. They also feel safer integrating their parents into their adult lives because they know they will be received rather than evaluated. Rabia teaches that love's highest expression is sometimes simply bearing witness: showing up, paying attention, and reflecting back to another their own unfolding beauty and truth.
Peri can explain this concept, give practical examples, help you decide whether it applies to your situation, or recommend a journey if appropriate.
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