What Does Love Require of Us Now?

Friends, the Divine Friend needs you. I hope you won’t let yourselves get caught in despair about what’s going on in the world—that can lead to you becoming a casualty, too. You’ll become unable to help other people, and you’ll be unable to be God’s hands, eyes, compassion, or love. Losing you won’t help the world.

Early Friends didn’t write about local or world events in their journals and articles. They remained focused on the Light. They gave their attention to listening to inner promptings, leadings, and advices. In their journals, we don’t read that in England, Friends were enduring not only religious persecution, but civil wars, two returns of the plague, and the 1666 Great Fire of London. In the British North American colonies and later United States, the only way the journals tell us that there were wars going on is the very occasional mention of someone being censured by their meeting for being willing to enlist, or a debate over differing views about paying war taxes.

Early Quakers anchored themselves not in events, but in what love required of them in the moment. Yes, most of us feel angry or despairing at times, but if that’s where we let our attention remain, we will wither and die. A politician who fought steadfastly against corruption and greed for decades once said these words to me, which I find to be a great help when I feel overwhelmed: “Despair is not an option.”

We can refuse to fall into such deep sadness or regret or hopelessness that it overwhelms our spirit. Let’s use our Friendly practices. Let’s gather more often. Let’s talk about the hopeful events of each week. Together, let’s read optimistic Quaker journal entries and learn how early Friends stayed focused on Spirit. Let’s worship together more often. Unprogrammed worship may feel difficult or impossible. It’s all right if these meetings need to add programmed elements sometimes to draw us out of worldly concerns and into the Presence.

The Divine Friend works through us to help us change things. The Compassionate Heart of Everlasting Love needs every one of us. The Divine Friend needs you.