There’s that of odd in everyone / It goes with being God’s daughter or son / It’s there in saints, outliers, and outlaws / It’s in what’s perfect, it’s in what’s broken / Inarticulate or well spoken / It’s where your genius meets your tragic flaws
“Based on the Quaker tenet that there is that of God in each person springs forth our guidelines for living, our testimonies, which are equality, peace, integrity, simplicity, and community. If there is that of God in each of us, we are all equal and we should treat each other that way. If there is that of God in each of us, why would we harm another person? We need to conduct our lives in peace and nonviolence. If there is that of God in each of us, we should live simply and not squander our extras. We should share them with those who don’t have and not waste our money or our resources on things we don’t need.”
“Our life is love, and peace, and tenderness; and bearing one with another, and forgiving one another, and not laying accusations one against another; but praying one for another, and helping one another up with a tender hand, if there has been any slip or fall.”
“Take time to learn about other people’s experiences of the Light. Remember the importance of the Bible, the writings of Friends and all writings which reveal the ways of God. As you learn from others, can you in turn give freely from what you have gained?”
There must be love remaining. / I believe in love / In spite of things said / And deeds done or hate. / There must be love / In the space of things— / Worlds turning and fixed / Stars burning.
“Christian peace is rooted in faith, nourished by hope, and perfected by love. It is a peace which is not achieved directly by man, but given by God to those who are disposed to receive it. […] When you realize that God has found a home in your spirit, which is the apex of your soul, you feel a security which the world can neither give nor take away.”
“While there is that of God in every person, there is not that of God in every idea. Practices that dehumanize people do not have a place in our Quaker community. They have no light.”
“I see God as life, force, spirit, power, and presence. It’s an energy which we can connect to in others and in ourselves. So it’s beyond good and bad. For me the core of this energy and presence is love and wisdom, which hopefully leads to good actions, certainly good intentions.”
“I believe that appreciation is a holy thing – that when we look for what’s best in a person we happen to be with at the moment, we’re doing what God does all the time. So in loving and appreciating our neighbor, we’re participating in something sacred.”
“Although human life as we know it without God may appear hopelessly broken, God’s image remains within us—partially erased or covered over but still there. This means that, however skewed our vision of God, others, and ourselves becomes, something in us still recognizes God. The image of God that is in us is the part of ourselves that never stops desiring to move toward love.”
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