Shortly after I was called to the position of Executive Director of William Penn House, a Quaker-related seminar center on Capitol Hill, I visited the Friends Meeting of Washington, the Quaker “church” in the city. While I was there, someone asked me if I were a Quaker. I replied that I was ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and that I had no plans to switch affiliations. Her response was, “Famous last words.”
The nine years I held that job, associating with Friends
from across the nation on a daily basis, had an effect on me. While I did not officially become a Quaker, I
came to deeply appreciate their traditions and approaches to spiritual
matters. And now that I am no longer
affiliated with the Disciples church in any way (apart from my monthly
pension!), I consider myself at least a fellow traveler with them, due to the
influence they had on me all those years ago.
There are, of course, books written about what it means
to be Quaker, but a shorthand version can be found in the acronym SPICE: Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, and
Equality. Those values characterize the
movement known as The Religious Society of Friends, and they point to an
uplifting spirituality.
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11, John the Baptist
was in prison. He received word from his
followers about the activities of Jesus and sent word through them to ask
Jesus if he was “the one who is to come,” that is, the Messiah. Jesus told them, “Go and tell John what you
hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin
disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have
good news brought to them.”
Jesus issued an invitation to the people who heard him
that day: “Come to me, all you who are
weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke
upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will
find rest for your souls. For my yoke is
easy, and my burden is light.”
In essence, he said his influence brought positivity to a
person’s life and to the life of the world.
Positivity infuses a lot of peace into life situations.
I remember a few words spoken by Martin Luther King, Jr.
when his nonviolence approach to the bigotry and oppression experienced by
people of color in this country came under criticism, even attack, from more
militant civil rights activists. When
some were saying, “Burn, baby, burn,” Dr. King’s response was “Build, baby,
build. Organize, baby, organize.”
It seems to me that destructive attitudes and behaviors
become more and more burdensome as they proliferate, even taking over one’s mindset
and life. The heaviness of hatred has
such a negative pull on one’s soul, like a downward spiral pulling a person
deeper and deeper into an inescapable abyss.
Separation from others as “alien,” “unworthy,” “inferior,” “un-Godly,”
or however one describes “them” limits not only the possibilities of life for “them,”
but also for oneself. The world shrinks
when fear, paranoia, and bitterness grow.
Those who think they are “protecting their position” are constantly on
edge, defensive, and negatively obsessed. Tearing down others in an attempt to lift up
oneself does not accomplish its objective.
Brokenness within the human family is not peace.
Fortunately, there are many people – of varying spiritual
backgrounds, races, genders, nationalities, sexual preferences, even political persuasions
-- who embrace, exhibit and expound positivity.
No matter what or who influences their attitudes and actions, I am willing
to guess that they generally experience the “rest for their souls” and the
easing of “burdens” that Jesus described for those who “yoke” themselves with
him.
As members of the local YWCA, my wife and I are connected to an organization that seeks the uplift of all people, human connectedness, and peace. The particular chapter to which we belong was the site of a speech by Eleanor Roosevelt when she visited our city in 1956. Ms. Roosevelt would only speak to integrated audiences, and after checking with a large public venue, schools, and churches in the area, organizers decided to hold the event in the gymnasium at the YWCA.
When we make our regular trips to the YWCA we often encounter
a man who works there. He is in charge
of security but seems to do just about anything and everything else. His name is Charlton, and he always greets us
and others with a smile and positive comments.
Charlton is African American, retired from the city police
force and seems to be in constant motion.
My suspicion is he is not well-educated or well-to-do in a financial
sense, but everyone he sees is a friend – man or woman, young, old, black, white,
Asian, Hispanic, or any other ethnicity or religion.
Positivity is what he brings every day, and it has its
effect on people. His genuine demeanor
reflects the values of the YWCA, and his presence lightens burdens and gives
people rest.
I don’t know what influenced Charlton, or the YWCA
founders, to be the people they became, but because of that influence,
blessings abound.
