I sat in the office of local high school waiting for the student to come to get me and lead me to her classroom. Since this was not the first time I have done this guest visit to this high school, I had a pretty good idea what to expect. I know the teacher pretty well and always welcome the invitation to come and be part of the honors’ class for seniors.
My escort appeared and dutifully whisked me away through the halls toward our room. My friend and teacher greeted me and I made my way to the front of the room to turn around and look into the faces of strangers. It is always an interesting moment. I have no clue what they are thinking and they probably don’t care what I am thinking.
I am confident they had been told I would be speaking about Quaker spirituality. I am also confident that prospect had not seemed thrilling to very many of them! I am not sure it is thrilling to me either. But when I think about it, I don’t think that is the role of spirituality: to be thrilling.
Spirituality is meaningful to me. Indeed, it is the way I make meaning and purpose in my life. I know it is not the only way to make meaning and purpose. I am quite clear atheists make meaning in a different way. And I respect that. But spirituality does it for me.
There are many features to my spirituality, but let me mention one point which guided my time with the students. That point is a foundational piece of Quaker spirituality. The line I grew up hearing went like this: “there is that of God in every person.” Maybe when I was seventeen, that phrase meant very little. But as my own spirituality took root in my heart, it became very important.
It is important because it speaks to the inherent dignity of every human being. Now this is not to say, many of us humans behave in very undignified ways. I do not excuse that in me nor in others. But the way I see it, we are all people of dignity who sometimes (or routinely) act in undignified ways. This is the point at which I think some of the students, at least, got it.
We are people of dignity who live one day at a time. I don’t think meaning and purpose are handed to us along with our breakfast. Each day is an opportunity for us to make some meaning and further our purpose in life. This led to a student comment---a question really. For me, it became central to the visit.
The young gal, Jess, was sitting near the back on my right hand side. She said something to the effect that the key was the question, “What will you make of today?” That was it; that was and is the key.
This is the question to which I want to wake: “what will I make of today?” Intentionality is crucial. If I am not intentional, then I am hoping to be lucky or, perhaps, graced. If I can ask that question, “what will I make of today,” then I can intentionally do some things and avoid other things. Too often, I fear, I wake up, eat breakfast and stumble into my routine---walk into my new day without any sense that I can “make something” of it.
I am glad that my intention this morning was to make something out of the day with the students. I tried to be present in a way that challenged and encouraged them to make meaning and purpose in their lives in a way that will make our world a better place.
Because there is that of God in every person, I want them to learn to love and not hate. I hope that they will make peace and not war. I desire that they live such lives that through them the Holy One says “blessing” instead of “damn!”
I’m thankful for yet another new day. I can hear Jess asking, “What will you make of today?”
My escort appeared and dutifully whisked me away through the halls toward our room. My friend and teacher greeted me and I made my way to the front of the room to turn around and look into the faces of strangers. It is always an interesting moment. I have no clue what they are thinking and they probably don’t care what I am thinking.
I am confident they had been told I would be speaking about Quaker spirituality. I am also confident that prospect had not seemed thrilling to very many of them! I am not sure it is thrilling to me either. But when I think about it, I don’t think that is the role of spirituality: to be thrilling.
Spirituality is meaningful to me. Indeed, it is the way I make meaning and purpose in my life. I know it is not the only way to make meaning and purpose. I am quite clear atheists make meaning in a different way. And I respect that. But spirituality does it for me.
There are many features to my spirituality, but let me mention one point which guided my time with the students. That point is a foundational piece of Quaker spirituality. The line I grew up hearing went like this: “there is that of God in every person.” Maybe when I was seventeen, that phrase meant very little. But as my own spirituality took root in my heart, it became very important.
It is important because it speaks to the inherent dignity of every human being. Now this is not to say, many of us humans behave in very undignified ways. I do not excuse that in me nor in others. But the way I see it, we are all people of dignity who sometimes (or routinely) act in undignified ways. This is the point at which I think some of the students, at least, got it.
We are people of dignity who live one day at a time. I don’t think meaning and purpose are handed to us along with our breakfast. Each day is an opportunity for us to make some meaning and further our purpose in life. This led to a student comment---a question really. For me, it became central to the visit.
The young gal, Jess, was sitting near the back on my right hand side. She said something to the effect that the key was the question, “What will you make of today?” That was it; that was and is the key.
This is the question to which I want to wake: “what will I make of today?” Intentionality is crucial. If I am not intentional, then I am hoping to be lucky or, perhaps, graced. If I can ask that question, “what will I make of today,” then I can intentionally do some things and avoid other things. Too often, I fear, I wake up, eat breakfast and stumble into my routine---walk into my new day without any sense that I can “make something” of it.
I am glad that my intention this morning was to make something out of the day with the students. I tried to be present in a way that challenged and encouraged them to make meaning and purpose in their lives in a way that will make our world a better place.
Because there is that of God in every person, I want them to learn to love and not hate. I hope that they will make peace and not war. I desire that they live such lives that through them the Holy One says “blessing” instead of “damn!”
I’m thankful for yet another new day. I can hear Jess asking, “What will you make of today?”
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