January 31, 2016

A young friend gently asked an old friend, knowing he was dying, “Are you sad?  Are you afraid?”

With equal gentleness, the old friend replied, “When I am sad, I am sad.  When I am afraid, I am afraid.  I have been preparing for the present moment all my life, always looking for the grace in it.”

A difference between love and control

A fundamental difference between controlling people, or trying to do so, and loving them is how our fundamental selfishness is expressed.
Am I expressing my selfishness by seeking something - aid? admiration? advantage? feelings? - from the other person?
Or am I expressing my selfishness by love and contribution - by supporting others' growth, comfort, and fulfillment of goals and yearnings - and thus by my own growth?

God in the answers

When we ask ourselves questions - not just searching memory, but questions about values, judgment, love and creativity - where does the answer come from?
"What's going on here?"
"Is there more to this situation than I first thought?"
"What values apply in this situation?"
"What motivations are at work here?"
"What are my options?"
"Should I say, or do, what first comes into my head?  Or would restraint be better?"
"What is wanted and needed here?"
"What would - pick your ethical hero (Mom? Dad? Jesus? Mother Teresa?) - do in this situation?"
"What is the best thing to do now?"
"What am I afraid of?"
"How can I improve this situation?"
"What can I learn from this situation and from my reactions to it?"
When we ask "ourselves" such questions, who wishes to limit the response to our own intellect and experience?  Who is not seeking to grow, to expand her or his awareness?
I believe that God - that of God within each of us - hears, pays attention to, and answers such questions.
I believe that, whether or not we believe in God or believe help or guidance will appear, when we seek help or guidance from a power beyond our conscious intellectual abilities, God is at least a name for that power.

January 10, 2016

We call this Meeting for Worship.  But that does not mean this hour is just for praising and thanking God or Jesus Christ as external powers.  Believing as we Quakers do that there is that of God in every person, this is a time for praising and thanking and supporting that of God in ourselves, and in each other.  This is a safe space.  This is a place for asking big questions and listening with care and patience for answers from within. 

Here we can admit – or at least try to understand - how small we are in the universe, in our society, and in relation to our potential.  And here is a place we can grow.  Here we can reflect on ways in which our ties with family members, friends and neighbors have become frayed or broken – and on ways to repair those ties. 

Here, by doing our best to discern the leadings of the Holy Spirit, we can clarify our values and increase our courage to live in accordance with them.

January 3, 2016

It is said that God or, as some prefer, Life does not give us more than we can handle.  I think that is true.  But I also think that is a truism: each of us consciously or unconsciously chooses what we will handle.  Each of us is the steward of our gifts - our present and potential powers.  Each of us is constantly deciding whether and how to deal with life's challenges, losses and opportunities - personal growth, grief, family issues, workplace issues, economic and political issues, environmental care, war and peace, for examples – and how hard we are willing to work to make our contributions.  
Fortunately, there is a power within each of us - the Holy Spirit, or call it what you will - which is always present to assist us.  Especially when asked.