4 Fruits of the Spirit: Friends Testimonies
NOTE TO FRIENDS: This draft is a revision of parts of chapters 4, 5, and 6 of the 1993 NPYM Faith and Practice, according to the new outline which gathers all material about a topic (description, quotations, advices, queries) into the same place in the book. This chapter “Fruits of the Spirit” deals with Quaker testimonies. Some parts of this chapter are new to Faith and Practice, as requested by NPYM Friends: Integrity, Harmony with Creation, “Be Not Afraid,” plus new material in Community and Stewardship. Comments or questions about specific additions, deletions, or changes appear in [[italics in double square brackets]]. These comments will not appear in the final version of Faith and Practice. 4 Fruits of the Spirit: Friends Testimonies [[Note to Friends: these introductory paragraphs are new to Faith and Practice.]] Testimonies are fruits of the Spirit marking directions for our lives. On one level, testimonies can be seen as values or principles of morality. On a deeper level, what Friends call “testimonies” are the result of being changed by direct interaction with Transcendent Reality. Transformation from worldly to spiritual—our journey into Light—is the result of an encounter with the Spirit and of our response to that encounter. Learning a moral code will not in itself make us good. Stories, histories, and journals can help us understand how to act rightly in the world. But it is only when we are drawn to the good and have internalized it—as opposed to merely understanding it—are we able to be good. Friends traditionally describe personal transformation as a gradual development over a lifetime.
[Show full text]