Today’s blog
Lynn Murphy Mark
Whose Will is it?
Some months ago, Reverend Jan sent me a little book written by a Unity minister, Jim Rosemergy. It is called “Gatherings of the Few”. In it, he writes about the power of a few believers to effect change in the world. It is an invitation to become one of them. To do so, we must be like a drop of water in a river – following the laws of nature we become a part of the infinite flow of water that travels from its source to its wider source, the sea.
The chapters are short, as is the book. I think I read it in two sittings. When I finished it I gave copies to a 12 Step group of four women. We meet monthly, on a Saturday, and after we solve the world’s problems through a spiritual lens, we share a meal. We are each scheduled every month to bring something to the group for further discussion and understanding. April was my month to bring an issue of spiritual significance, so I asked them to read the first 20 pages of the book. My friends are overachievers, so they read on and finished the book. Yesterday was our meeting day.
I had already attended a two hour zoom meeting as part of becoming a Prayer Chaplain Trainer for my church. This week the discussion was entirely on Prayer and the material was wonderful. I was so drawn into the session that I couldn’t believe that two hours passed so quickly. So by the time I got to my next meeting I felt like I had spent a whole day in a big spiritual endeavor.
We took turns saying what we had gained from the reading. Each one brought up something different that had spoken to them. One said she appreciated the chapter about The Cave. That is the dark space that we all possess – “our memories are there, and some of them are not pleasant. Guilt is there, what we have done and not done, said and not said. Regret is there and so is anger, rage, resentment, and shame.” She was taken by the image of a dark cave with a floor of dark stones, representing our humanity. As 12 Step people we are intimately familiar with this dark space, where the origin of our addictions resides.
There is a chapter titled, The River. I have been a water person all my life and I can remember hours spent in its mysteries. I read this chapter with a great deal of joy. Most of the writing is devoted to an understanding of God’s will. In my lived experience I have heard the phrase, “It’s God’s will”, applied mostly to the negative, hurtful episodes. Someone we love dies? It’s the will of God. We are passed over for a promotion? God willed it. A deadly earthquake? God willed it. I have a lot of trouble believing that. I read these words: “God’s will, the natural inclination, is the same for everyone. Just as the influence of cosmic forces is the same for each droplet of water in the river, God’s will is the same for each of us….God’s will…is not of this earth. It transcends earthly events and circumstances…This is aligned with our new understanding that the divine intent is the same for everyone, that God’s will is not found in events or circumstances.” (page 10).
This kind of thinking leads me to look for the God moments in each day, those times when Creation is revealed lovingly to me. It could be as simple as watching the pair of mourning doves that eat the seeds on the ground, and then fly off together, their wings fluttering as they go. It could be that person willing to go an extra mile to be helpful. Any act of kindness counts as a God moment. The little book from Reverend Jim Rosemergy says, “The will of God unites us and gives us a purpose. We are called to know God, to awaken, to become increasingly conscious.” Doing so makes me a more peaceful person, able to participate in a positive change for another being.