An Insight About Service

This morning I went to church for the first time in a long time -- but I went to an unprogrammed (silent) Quaker meeting, not to the Swedenborgian church.

I needed to go someplace where I could sit in silence, wait on the Light, and not be asked to join in speaking someone else's words.

I have received great comfort, insight, and challenge from the words I have been confronted with during chruch services. . . but right now, what I want is a formal space in which to be silent, to "wait upon the Lord," and to be in the company of others doing the same thing.

And it was good.

And I had an insight while I sat there in silence: that one of the reasons I'm having trouble with the issue of service right now is that service takes place in the context of community, and I have not been deeply engaged in community for a long time. I have some circles of friends, but I'm not tied into something larger and more complex. I can do my best to meet the needs of friends, but I want to transcend the personal sphere. In community, there is a wider opportunity for service, and there is reinforcement and partnership in service.

No wonder I feel so overwhelmed when I look at all the ills and griefs and wounds of the world, and wonder "What can I do?" In community, strength and resources are shared. It's not just one person, alone. (Ok, sometimes it is, but I'm working on a general observation here. . . )

Something to think about more, and to explore.

At the moment, I really need to finish my paper.