Tuesday, November 11, 2008
The Will of God
When I listen with my “spiritual ear” I hear how deep and meaningful that passage about seeking “the will of God” is for you and I am risen up.
However, please understand I take a different spiritual journey. A journey that is equally Quaker in Truth and tradition. When I look inward in Quaker worship, I witness the spiritual essence of creation. When I look for boundaries between this essence and my self I find none. I see this spiritual essence in the rocks, the single leaf falling to the ground in autumn, in the bird's song, the car’s engine roar and all the creatures around me. Nowhere do I see a boundary or separation and it is all awesome. For this reason and others I struggle with the word “God” for its inherent “otherness”, the concept of separation it implies.
Worse yet I struggle with the concepts of following the “will of God” or “obedience to the Lord”, again for the inherent “otherness” and also for a more serious reason. I have observed in life and in the bible that this hierarchy in religious thought, this medieval concept of lord and servant leaks quickly into human relationships.
However, I do not overlook the spiritual richness in these kinds of spiritual attitudes. For me I replace them with a more Taoist alignment with “The Way”. Seeking the “path of most resistance” or the “path of least resistance” and using listening and wisdom to choose between the two.
However, please understand I take a different spiritual journey. A journey that is equally Quaker in Truth and tradition. When I look inward in Quaker worship, I witness the spiritual essence of creation. When I look for boundaries between this essence and my self I find none. I see this spiritual essence in the rocks, the single leaf falling to the ground in autumn, in the bird's song, the car’s engine roar and all the creatures around me. Nowhere do I see a boundary or separation and it is all awesome. For this reason and others I struggle with the word “God” for its inherent “otherness”, the concept of separation it implies.
Worse yet I struggle with the concepts of following the “will of God” or “obedience to the Lord”, again for the inherent “otherness” and also for a more serious reason. I have observed in life and in the bible that this hierarchy in religious thought, this medieval concept of lord and servant leaks quickly into human relationships.
However, I do not overlook the spiritual richness in these kinds of spiritual attitudes. For me I replace them with a more Taoist alignment with “The Way”. Seeking the “path of most resistance” or the “path of least resistance” and using listening and wisdom to choose between the two.
