The WoW

Today in Meeting a long time member shared a message about how she had a "Wow" moment when she first got connected to God in a Quaker meeting and how now that she is close to God those "Wow" moments are rare.  

When I consider my relationship to the Gathered Quaker Meeting and making a direct connection to God -- I frankly wonder how that happened.  Something "Wow" must have happened but I don't know what? 

It was quiet.  

As I excavate my approach to God I can only come to one conclusion: I experienced a spiritual awakening in the presence of people listening for God.  THE GATHERED MEETING. 

And what is amazing is that I hardly noticed it.  I only know that something stirred in me and I needed to return. 

I could say that, for me, my WOW moment initially was mostly unconscious and to this day is still building to a wider experience of spirituality, integrity, community, equality and peace.  

What was only a dim experience at first has only continued to brighten as I seek to deepen that initial stirring.  And while it is probably different for each person, I sort of like the constant unfolding to deeper and deeper levels.  It reminds me of peeling an onion -- the deeper you go the more robust the smells and flavors.

After meeting today the queries I am left with are:

• What brings me to meeting?
• What do I hope to discover there? 
• Why is it important to discern a message as different from something I'd just like to share? 
• How do the messages in meeting apply to me? 
• When in meeting, am I listening for the voice of God for me or for others too?

Joseph Olejak