I Was Jealous that Spirit Had Never Spoken to Me

Hello dear readers,

Thank you for exploring the theme of Discernment and Leadings with me this month, and for your wonderful query responses.

A few years ago I joined a spiritual friendship group at my meeting because I was curious about others’ spiritual lives and looking for inspiration for my own. What I heard were personal accounts of mysticism, from the miraculous (“I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard a voice shouting at me!”) to the prosaic (“Way opened, and I followed.”). Frankly, I was jealous; I was sure that Spirit had never spoken to me. 

Now with a bit more spiritual maturity, I realize that I have been led, though I didn’t recognize it at the time. I was led to marry my husband and to become a parent. I was also led to this ministry of editing the Daily Quaker Message. Though I never heard a voice shouting at me, and I wouldn’t say I was exactly “kicked by God,” I knew what path I was supposed to follow, though that clarity sometimes took years of discernment.

This month, we went on a journey from listening to following. We read that we are all given an inward guide, that Spirit may speak gently or disturb our rest, and that practice and faithfulness can increase our powers of discernment. Our readings reaffirmed that we all have the capacity for prophetic ministry, no matter how inadequate we may feel, and that whether or not we believe in God, Friends know that something happens in group discernment that elevates decision making beyond the mere mechanics of the process. 

Tomorrow we will begin a month of messages on the theme of the Divine and the Natural World, examining how our relationship with nature can inspire our spirituality. We will read about Friends who have experienced divine ecstasy or received messages in the wilderness, consider our responsibility as stewards of the earth, and be invited to participate in exercises that strengthen our connection to creation.

Best wishes for the New Year!

In friendship,

Maeve Sutherland
Editor of the Daily Quaker Message

Reader Responses

When have you had a powerful experience with group discernment?

When have you felt the presence of the divine in meeting for business, a committee meeting, or a clearness committee? How do you create the conditions for a worshipful meeting?

"I have felt the presence of the Divine not when, as Dan says in this quote, 'the reality is that some voices carry more weight than others,' but when all voices truly carry equal weight. (Oh, that pesky little testimony of equality... We just can't get it right, even now, can we?!)

As long as Quakers believe that that is our 'reality,' and not a fully mistaken perception of conditioned, outdated beliefs, they will continue giving some voices more weight than others and still blindly wondering why every voice doesn't feel safe enough to speak up in meeting.

I have been treated according to this 'reality' too many times in Quakerdom, for being 'new' in a meeting, for being 'young' even though I'm almost 44. I have been called 'not seasoned enough' for service on a particular committee, and literally have been told that my voice won't be taken seriously until I'm in a meeting for 5-10 years. And they wonder why 'young people' don't stick around...

Thankfully I am now in a supportive meeting. But this attitude and apparent 'reality' needs to change, and it needs to change yesterday."

Francine B., Collegeville, PA, USA

This Week’s Messages

Mon Dec 23

It Is Seekers Who Make Prophets

“The variable that marks some periods as barren and some as rich in prophetic vision is in the interest, the level of seeking, the responsiveness of the hearers. The variable is NOT in the presence or absence, or the relative quality and force, of the prophetic voices. Prophets grow in stature as people respond to their message. If their early attempts are ignored or spurned their talent may wither away.” …
Tue Dec 24

What Defines Us as Friends

“Our commitment to Quaker process isn’t primarily a commitment to efficiency. It’s a commitment to being the body of Christ, with all the discomfort that life in the body entails. When we fail in our process, we fail in our life as the body, because failure of the process inevitably means that one part of the body has been judged to mean less to the body than another part of the body.” …
Wed Dec 25

Trust That God Is Present

“God speaks, touches, and reveals in God’s own way and in God’s own time. Still, the presence of certain conditions, such as trust, prayer, and patience, makes discernment of God’s call more likely. Having or meeting these conditions does not mean that we will discern God’s call, only that discernment becomes more likely…” …
Thu Dec 26

How to Clerk a Quaker Committee Meeting

“The purpose of meeting for worship is to listen to each other, to listen to God, and to deepen our relationship with God by deepening our love for each other. The purpose of a Quaker committee is to serve the needs of our meeting and to practice worship. The purpose of a committee is not necessarily to solve a problem quickly.” …
Fri Dec 27

The Power of a Quaker Clearness Committee

“[I] once sat on a clearness committee for a couple [where the husband had had an affair]. They had been married many many years, and are still happily married. What it took for them to get through this was commitment and courage. They both wanted to save their marriage; they both were willing to be radically honest and to listen to the other one speak…” …
Sat Dec 28

After a Period of Silence, Our View Was Completely Changed

“In 1948, there were 750,000 refugees on the Gaza strip; the new state of Israel had just been established. The UN asked [American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)] to take responsibility for feeding, housing, etc. At the meeting of the AFSC Board of Directors, all speakers said the work needed doing, but all agreed it was just too big for the Service Committee. They counseled that we should say no, with regrets. Then the chairman called for a period of silence, prayer, meditation. Ten or fifteen minutes went by in which no one spoke. The chairman opened the discussion once again. The view around the table was completely changed: ‘Of course, we have to do it.’ There was complete unity.” …

Banner art by Adrian Martinez

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Author

  • Maeve Sutherland

    Maeve Sutherland is a communications professional who never recovered from her wonderful childhood at a Quaker elementary school. She has spent her career helping nonprofits share their stories, from schools and universities, to museums, to radio stations. As a Thomas J. Watson Fellow, Maeve spent a year living in “Peaceable Kingdoms,” pacifist intentional communities around the world, where she learned that everyone has a role to play in shaping a better world. She worked as a freelance social media manager before joining Thee Quaker Project. After returning to Quakerism as a young adult, Maeve now attends Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting in Philadelphia.

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