One of the members of our Quaker Meeting shared a message the other day during After Thoughts: “We are all the arms of God.”
That was it.
At first, I thought she said we are all IN the arms of God, a comforting spiritual message I had heard since I was a child. One could be forgiven, especially during this tumultuous time, for craving words that might soothe our anxious souls. But that was not what she meant; indeed, what she said was quite different. “We are all the arms of God,” she said. Rather than offering words to reassure us, she was giving us a mission.
I have always loved the idea that God works through us, through the efforts of countless people reaching out and doing their best to support others, feed people, organize people, listen to people. As I’ve grown older, I’ve found myself spending more time doing housework, or small volunteer jobs, or chatting with family and friends. This seemed to happen naturally – I had more time to attend to chores and check in with the people important to me. At the same time, however, I was suspicious of it. Was chatting with my mother-in-law the best use of my skill set? How about washing tea towels for the Quaker Meeting? Shouldn’t I be doing more important things, like organizing some big community effort?
When I was young, I did quite a bit of community organizing, and my later career as a journalist and teacher also satisfied that itch to work for the common good. Now that I’m retired, however, I sometimes wonder what I am good for, especially as I’m no longer taking on professional challenges. But then I call a friend to listen to them talk about the ups and downs of their life, and it always feels like time well spent.
So what does it mean to be the arms of God? It can mean all of these things – the big and the small, the heroic and the mundane, the extraordinary efforts and the banal everyday things that keep our families and neighborhoods together. The Buddhists speak of the divine in small chores and activities, and that they are all necessary. Sometimes slowing down and paying attention, so I can attend fully to the job in front of me, helps me tap into the gentle pleasure of everyday tasks.
We must also slow down when reaching out to help others. Quakers believe that there is that of God in everyone, and that if we listen for the voice of God in others, then we will understand better what they need. I’ve also found that sometimes the voice of God manifests in ways beyond language. A person’s posture, what they are doing or what they are avoiding, or their silence or grief, can speak volumes. But only if we are listening without our own agendas, and with an open heart. My sons, when they were teenagers, taught me the importance of setting aside my hopes and fears while listening to them, and I’ve never forgotten the value of that.
I’ve also learned that I serve better when I don’t try to do everything myself; when I remember that many others also serve as the arms of God. When my mother was dying a few years ago, I noticed that everyone in my family found their own best way of supporting and comforting her – whether it was providing dinners, tidying up, or just sitting with her as she listened to her favorite classical music. And it didn’t matter who did what; it only mattered that we were all the arms of God.
Our lives have seasons, and there may be times that we are called on to act beyond what we feel is possible, or times when we are confused and don’t know what is most important to do next or how to help someone. And there may be other times when we need to retreat to a smaller world just to keep ourselves sane. But no matter where we find ourselves, we can all be the arms of God, in ways big and small. By holding each other up, we are all in the arms of God.
By Wendy Swallow, Blog Editor, Reno Friends Meeting
The opinions expressed above are not necessarily those of Reno Friends Meeting