“What is your first instinct – your first act – when you walk into a dark room? Mine is to find a light switch… to turn on a light! I want to know where I am, to see where I’m going. I want to be able to find my way.
In the creation story, the first thing God did was to flip on a light switch. God spoke, and light came. The earth was formless, dark and empty, and God spoke light into being. ‘God called the light Day and the darkness God called Night.'”
“Our strength or help is only in God; but then it is near us, it is in us – a force superior to all possible opposition – a force that never was, nor can be foiled. We are free to stand in this unconquerable ability, and defeat the powers of darkness; or to turn from it, and be foiled and overcome. When we stand, we know it is God alone upholds us.”
“If we set our hearts on goodness as a personal goal, it means that we have to ignore or suppress all the other parts of ourselves that do not fit into our ideal of goodness. That was what George Fox had already done and he was actually shocked when, on the first part of his inward journey, he came upon the dark and unacceptable parts of himself. Like Simone Weil, the twentieth century mystic, he found that he knew from the inside a potential for all possible crimes. His fantasies were guided by no one but himself, but he quickly made the acquaintance of the things inside him that could be bestial, murderous and depraved.”
“I was under great temptations sometimes, and my inward sufferings were heavy; but I could find none to open my condition to but the Lord alone, unto whom I cried night and day. And I went back into Nottinghamshire, and there the Lord shewed me that the natures of those things which were hurtful without, were within in the hearts and minds of wicked men…
And I cried to the Lord, saying, ‘Why should I be thus, seeing I was never addicted to commit those evils?’ And the Lord answered that it was needful I should have a sense of all conditions, how else should I speak to all conditions; and in this I saw the infinite love of God. I saw also that there was an ocean of darkness and death, but an infinite ocean of light and love, which flowed over the ocean of darkness. And in that also I saw the infinite love of God; and I had great openings.”
“Faith and hope are not about believing everything will be alright. They call us to our purpose: to love one another. They call us to constantly cultivate love in quiet ways through it all…. In turn, faith and hope promise us that no matter what happens, unexpected tangible support will arrive, joy and love will comfort us, and infallible guidance will lead us every step of the way.”
March 2025: These messages are on the theme of Quaker thought on light and darkness, despair and hope, fear and courage. We read Friends’ reflections on George Fox’s famous description of “an infinite ocean of light and love” flowing over an ocean of darkness. Friends acknowledge their own capacity for darkness and share ways they open themselves to the unconquerable power of Spirit. Toward the end of the month, we hear wisdom about grief and healing from Quaker hospice chaplains.
“Sometimes known as ‘International Women’s Day of Struggle,’ International Women’s Day is celebrated in many places on March 8th. During a recent conversation with some colleagues from India, I learned that many women’s groups in Tamil Nadu host massive celebrations where women from the group are celebrated and women in positions of power are honored guests. In that same conversation, a colleague living in Mexico shared about the large protests on March 8th, fueled by increasing violence against women in her community. Each of these acknowledgments of International Women’s Day creates space for women to listen to one another, to come together in our shared struggles, and to chart a path forward.”
“To be truly listened to […] is often experienced as being loved, being loved more profoundly than most of us ever experience being loved. We all hunger for unconditional love, in spite of the fact that human love is necessarily conditional. All our lives, we are accustomed to being accepted on the condition of living up to certain standards, reciprocating certain behaviors, saying the right things. To be heard by someone who approaches letting go of expectation – even for a little while – gives us a taste of God’s forgiving love in which we’ve all been held from eternity.”
“Be aware of the spirit of God at work in the ordinary activities and experience of your daily life. Spiritual learning continues throughout life, and often in unexpected ways. There is inspiration to be found all around us, in the natural world, in the sciences and arts, in our work and friendships, in our sorrows as well as in our joys. Are you open to new light, from whatever source it may come? Do you approach new ideas with discernment?”
“The great and small tragedies in your life and world sometimes just ask you to stand before them with silence and humility. You do not always have an answer, but you can learn to be present — listening deeply, with a heart that trembles in response to pain.”
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