George Fox, the founder of the Religious Society of Friends was a troubled young man who struggled to understand the meaning of life, the human condition and all those other deep questions which come to us particularly when we are young.

Today he might have resorted to drugs or drink, but he took himself off, to question those who he thought might give him answers. Then he had his great breakthrough in recognising that his teacher, Christ, was within, and he just needed to be open and to listen.

His need to share this revelation brought him to Westmorland and the Seekers, and he remained here, based at Swarthmoor Hall, for the rest of his life except for the times he was in prison or travelling, which was much of the time. His hostess at the Hall, Margaret Fell, wife of Judge Fell, heard him speak in Ulverston Church, and these words moved her deeply: “You will say, Christ sayeth this, and the apostles say this; but what can’st thou say? Art thou a child of Light and hast walked in the Light, and what thou speakest is it inwardly from God?”

It is our responsibility to listen to that inward voice and to try to follow what it tells us. In order to test that this is not just our ego speaking, Quakers share their “leadings” with their meeting before acting on something important. That leading and testing might lead to life-changing decisions.

Written by Meg Hill, Preston Patrick Local Quaker meeting

To share an insight about how your faith impacts your view of things, please contact: faithviewpoint@gmail.com.