“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.”

“Hope begins in the dark, the stubborn hope that if you just show up and try to do the right thing, the dawn will come. You wait and watch and work: you don’t give up.”

Anne Lamott

Each of these Anne Lamott quotes really spoke to me on persevering in being of service, with the idea of a witness manifesting not in “running all over” but rather being able “to stand”–grounded in “waiting, watching, working” and not giving up. For me, this puts a focus on the daily, if not moment to moment, work in staying faithful. If the work is truly as God wants, much of what I do in ministry is steeped in listening to Spirit, rather than following my next best ‘good idea’ of what is needed. Of course this is not a brand new awareness, but more of a reinforcement of what the work actually is, as a Quaker. By being still, I sink into waiting on God in the manner of Friends rather than being tempted to run ahead of my guide. Chasing after a witness might feel well intentioned, but it lacks some of the discipline and anchoring that encompasses a leading that is properly discerned. Part of the challenge I find is not being discouraged that I run the phrasing through my head and heart and cannot find myself in the seeming place of where George Fox lived, with an unceasing experience and knowledge of Divine intention. That bit is probably more indicative of expectation and assumption, because Fox as a realistic model is a bit of a leap, considering his often trippy descriptions of a ministry lived. I have been blessed to have had some extraordinary experiences of a spiritual nature, as well as some dry patches, and I guess it comes back to finding balance in my understanding my response to the query I typically use: “how do I serve?– use me according to thy Will”.

Jan Dahm

“Great things did the Lord lead me unto, and wonderful depths were opened unto me beyond what can by words be declared; but as people come into subjection to the Spirit of God, and grow up in the image and power of the Almighty, they may receive the word of wisdom, that opens all things, and come to know the hidden unity in the Eternal Being.”

George Fox

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