Two Profound Quaker Ideas (first published in the Memphis Friends Newsletter)
I have long thought that a meaningful aspect of what could be called Quaker theology is the blurring of the boundary between the sacred and the profane. This means that we look at all subjects and objects as sacred. The rocks are just as sacred as people. It does not mean we treat rocks like people. It means that we care for rocks in rock-appropriate ways and people in people-appropriate ways. It means that when I throw a rock into the water, it is just as sacred of an act as sitting in Meeting for Worship.
It is a radical idea. It means that every meal is the “Holy Communion;” every time we touch a child it is a Baptism; every word from our mouths is as important as a prayer; a ditch digger is just as important as a priest. The list goes on, and all of the examples are about the equality and sacredness of all of life.
It is a radical way to live, treating all as sacred. It is what monks are supposed to be taught to do as they learn to “pray without ceasing.” We are to see God in everything, so that love of God means love of all God’s critters, large and small.
Recently I have learned another radical Quaker idea that has deeply affected me. Quakers focus first on the heart. Instead of analyzing behavior, the situation, the need, we are asked first, “What says your heart?”
What an amazing shift from powerlessness to power. Troubles almost always knock us down, and our natural inclination is to fight or flee. Quakers suggest another alternative: look inward first. Don’t focus more on the trouble—you’ve seen enough of it when it knocked you down. Look inward to be sure you know how “that of God within” is responding. Check your heart first.
Once you know your own heart, you eyes will see through the eyes of God, and you can focus outwardly with peace, courage, and insight.
Two Quaker ideas worth paying attention to: all of life is sacred, and look first at your own heart.