As a Quaker, we respect the sacred scripture of all religious traditions, but we don’t revere one over the other, and we don’t assent to any one as absolute truth. The way we see it, they are certainly a path to get closer to the truth, but they equally run the risk of leading us further astray if we lose sight of certain universal ideals, such as tolerance and equality and respect.
I was raised in a particularly Christian community, and my mother raised us three sons in a fairly standard Christian denomination, the Pentecostal Church. There are many valuable lessons that I learned as a member of the Pentecostal Church, some which stay with me to this day. There are also things I learned that have helped me refine what I don’t believe in. Any way you spin it, there was value gained.
The Bible holds a special place in my heart, because it’s inspiring passages have gotten me through some very difficult times, and some of its timeless teachings continue to resonate in my heart. There are also passages that I struggle with, and passages that I don’t agree with. This may get me into hot water with some more mainstream Christian denominations that believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, but that’s my truth.
Recently – yesterday – a personal relationship that I hold near and dear to my heart came to an end. I’d by lying if I said it isn’t breaking me apart on the inside. I’m hurt, and I’m heartbroken. I have the full spectrum of human emotions just like everyone else. And out of my hurt, I was tempted to speak out in a way that would not have been helpful for anyone involved. It would have been short-sighted and harmful to speak directly out of my own personal hurt without carefully weighing my words.
There is a Bible verse that particularly came to mind, and it’s from the often-quoted book of Proverbs. In my old and tattered New King James Version Bible, Proverbs 18:21 reads:
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.”
Proverbs 18:21(NKJV)
Everything that we speak, every single word that we utter, feeds us. And it’s either feeding us life or it’s feeding us death. Using your mouth to speak only life would be a great ideal, but a more realistic goal might be to speak more life than death. I make no claims of being any better at taming my tongue than any other Friend, or any other person at all, for that matter. But in this moment, even though I’m hurting, I’m choosing to speak life – or at least, not to speak death. I encourage everyone to carefully weigh the consequences of their words. Words can be apologized for, but they cannot be retracted.
As always, if there’s anything that you need, any way I can help, you always have a Friend in me. Reach out to me via the Contact page if you need any support.