OLD CHATHAM QUAKERS
  • Home
  • What's Going On?
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
  • Donate
  • More About Us
    • Location
    • Quaker Links
    • Renting the Meeting House
  • Meeting Life
    • Meeting Business
    • Meeting Directory
    • Miscellaneous Documents
    • Document Archive
    • Worship Sharing
    • The Role of Ministry and Counsel
    • Friends Burial Ground at Rayville
    • Photo Archive
  • Covid Policy
  • OCMM Visibility Strategy Survey
  • Blog
  • Sanctuary Documents
  • OPJ Documents
  • Solitary Housing Unit

God Is In The Details

10/25/2021

6 Comments

 
Picture
I was talking to a friend recently and he used the turn of phrase "the devil is in the details" when we were talking about contracts and agreements.  How it is possible to get snagged on a small thing if you're not paying attention; like an increase in interest if you miss just one payment for example. 

I said that I preferred the phrase "God is in the details."  I like it because it invokes the intelligence that is all around us in everything great and small.  Consider the wings of a hummingbird.  Imagine for a moment the level of intelligence and detail that makes this creature possible.

The word WONDER comes to mind.  Devil in the details only invokes fear.  Haven't we had enough of that?   What would it be like if in all our thoughts, actions and interactions we operate from the context that God is in the details and we just come from a place of wonder. 

How can we do that? 

Slowing down is a place to start.  For 150,000 years modern humans have been here.   For thousands of those years literally nothing changed.  If you were to look at a high speed film of the first 149.000 years it would be a monotony of sameness. There was a natural  pace to life that flowed with the rhythm of the days and seasons.  Since the "enlightenment" things have been getting faster and faster. With the advent of radio and TV the cycle revved up. When we got the hand held communicator with all the apps the pace of life is now changing literally second to second.  

Quaker Meeting is the one place in my life where I have been able to carve out this quiet time. I want more limits and sadly I fail regularly in this area. 

When do we slow down?  How can we approach God -- in the details -- if we don't notice them?  If we don't see them.   My favorite poet, Mary Oliver, asks the question "how to be idle and blessed?"  We naturally discover this when we step off the work wheel for a while. We notice that the clouds are not still, but are moving ever so slightly when we look into the sky for no particular reason.  

This slowing down is not just a luxury for those with time, but is essential.   
  • How can we be good stewards of ourselves, our relationship to God, our relationship with others and to the Earth without some attention to detail? 
We blithely burned gigatons of fossil fuels and sleep-walked into an earth crisis over the last century by leaving the details to others.   What else have we stepped over?  The great and the small?  Did we miss the smile of a child? Or maybe the way the wings of a hummingbird shimmer? 

God is in each of us.  We are part of the details.  

God is in all things.  We are part of the great whole. 

God is in the details. 

~ Joseph Olejak 

6 Comments
Richard Russell
10/28/2021 06:09:47 am

Thanks, Joseph, for this thoughtful and poetic post. Glad to see you back on the blog.

Reply
joseph olejak
10/30/2021 04:53:25 pm

Richard,

My intention when I approached the meeting about creating this blog was to share messages from meeting. I wanted this blog to be part of our outreach efforts on OPJ (Outreach, Peace and Justice Committee) and I was pleasantly surprised that you have been posting with enthusiasm.

It both gave me an opportunity to step away from it ... and ... it fulfilled my intentions. You are now a member of the meeting.

So very glad to have you.

Joseph

Reply
Christina Beauchemin link
10/31/2021 04:39:15 am

I happen to agree with your beautiful thoughts. I grew up on a farm as a kid and have noticed God in the little things in my life much the same as you are saying here. When humans lose touch with nature, I believe they begin losing touch with their humanity. I notice people walking with their heads down staring at their phones rather than paying attention to God's gifts all around us. God IS in the details. Nice post.

Reply
Amy Ryan
11/1/2021 06:16:15 am

Thank you Joseph, beautiful said. And thank you for eloquent reminder of our relationship to God and nature.

Reply
joseph vincent olejak
11/4/2021 05:08:11 pm

I spoke to an artist friend recently and she reminded me where this quote ... "God Is In The Details" ... originally came from.

I would be remiss if I did not mention Meis Van Der Rohe in this blog.

The original quote: "God is in the details, is such a positive anthem that speaks to the poetry of the minutiae and the artistic focus and follow through required to achieve anything of worth."

One can certainly apply that to Quaker practice.

Reply
Richard S Russell
11/5/2021 06:37:05 am

Hi, Joseph.

"Positive anthem" and "focus" on "minutiae" surely describe mindfulness and Quaker centering. I know I need to practice more mindfulness and focus on the minutiae of daily life. The result would be more of the "wonder" of which you speak.

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    ​This blog was set up to post content of interest to Old Chatham Quaker members and attenders. Posts related to one's own personal spiritual journey, reports based on interviews with others, and reflections on Quaker-related topics are welcome. Posts by individuals are personal expressions and do not necessarily reflect those of the Meeting as a whole.
    Guidelines for posting on website blog:
    Submit to member of Communications committee; committee has editorial oversight over all content posted on the Meeting website.

    Be respectful of the nature of vocal ministry given in Meeting for Worship or other settings and any private conversations about spiritual matters.

    Cite source of any image or other external content submitted.

    Archives

    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

  • Home
  • What's Going On?
    • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
  • Donate
  • More About Us
    • Location
    • Quaker Links
    • Renting the Meeting House
  • Meeting Life
    • Meeting Business
    • Meeting Directory
    • Miscellaneous Documents
    • Document Archive
    • Worship Sharing
    • The Role of Ministry and Counsel
    • Friends Burial Ground at Rayville
    • Photo Archive
  • Covid Policy
  • OCMM Visibility Strategy Survey
  • Blog
  • Sanctuary Documents
  • OPJ Documents
  • Solitary Housing Unit