If you read the utterances of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with selflessness and care and concentrate upon them, you will discover truths unknown to you before and will obtain an insight into the problems that have baffled the great thinkers of the world. (In the handwriting of Shoghi Effendi, appended to a letter dated 30 January 1925 written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, in Living the Life, p. 4)
I love simple solutions and keys that open doors, and this quote does this for me. Wouldn’t we all love to find insight into our problems, truths that baffle the greatest thinkers in the world? How simple is this: read the utterances of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá with selflessness and care and concentrate upon them. So simple and yet so profound!
When I was a new Baha’i, enthralled with the blueprint Baha’u’llah has laid out for the world, leading us to world peace, I was convinced that since He had the blueprint for the world, surely it would include the blueprint for me to free myself from the bondage of childhood trauma. I looked everywhere, convinced there must be a book, when a wise Baha’i said: maybe you’ll write it. I was mad! I wanted someone else to have done the work for me.
But I did what I was told: I read the Writings morning and night and more often than not, I found exactly what I needed just at the right time. I made copies and put them in a filing cabinet. One day I was asked to give a presentation on violence and abuse and knew I was totally ill-equipped to do it, but I remembered that drawer. I took out all the quotes, put them into some kind of order and that was the draft of my first book! And the rest is history. Now there are nearly 1000 articles on my blog! And I’ve published 10 books and 3 more are at literature review. WOW! All more God’s success than mine. My part was following the instructions – reading the Writings and concentrating on them well enough to share with others.
Discovering truths and finding insights to my problems by reading the Writings, I am in awe of the results, and profoundly grateful!
What jumped out for you when you read this passage? Please share your thoughts below.
If you liked this meditation, you might also like my book Overcoming Abuse and Violence
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When I have followed the instructions, I have been more than amazed at the results!!! Sometimes it has been years after the results when I learn of it, which astonishes me even more. And, sometimes those results have happened hundreds or thousands of miles away from me! Such results cause me to wonder what other results are there that I will never know about in this life??? Such results give me courage and encouragement to keep making efforts no matter what is going on around me or apparent stagnation. Ripples from my actions are “out there” somewhere doing some good.
I absolutely LOVE it when God lets me see the ripples, and they often bring me to tears. For example, once I was 2 weeks away from pioneering to China, and developed some health problems which prevented me from going. On my YouTube playlist, there was a recording of the China Tablet, where ‘Abdu’l-Baha asks “where is that wholly sanctified Baha’i to become the teacher of China” and one day it just moved to be so many tears of anguish pouring out from my soul at my inability to be that soul. Shortly after, I was contacted by a Chinese non-Baha’i reader of my blog, in China, who wanted to translate some of my articles into Chinese! Ya Baha’u’l-Abha!
If that wasn’t enough, I had helped a Chinese student improve her English as a Second Language through online teaching, so that she could pass her English equivalency test that would allow her to accept a scholarship she’d earned to Oxford University in England. A couple of years later and soon after my desperate longing stimulated by this song, I had an email from her, saying that someone I’d pioneered to Labrador with years before, said hi. I knew that this former pioneer was also studying at Oxford, but I couldn’t for the life of me imagine how the two would have met, or discovered they knew me in common. My student started studying Ruhi with the former pioneer, and when she finished her studies, returned to China and started tutoring study circles. Ya Baha’u’l-Abha! It gives me goosebumps to think that sitting at home in my pajamas, in front of a computer screen, I can be among those teachers of China. Thank you God for letting me see these ripples!
Same here. I just kept reading, studying, praying and then doing as Spirit indicated. I ended up being the “Crystal bowl lady”, which is not in any list of careers. It was a vocation God chose for me. I listened and obeyed as He unfolded it step by step. One year I was praying “What next?” for several months. I kept hearing “Think bigger”. So I sent up a few ideas to the Great Planner. “Think bigger” was the reply. So finally, in frustration I said “Ok how about a showroom in my home with two walls full of crystal bowls for sale, about 100 bowls imported?” It was a huge investment. A giddy jump off a cliff. But it made my heart leap for joy. So I went for it! And the rest is history. A large music therapy business came into being. I’m so grateful I listened and acted.
Me too Nancy! They’ve helped me enormously. Even though I love where I live, I sure wish we lived closer!
Very, very, very inspiring, both article and comments. Write more!
Your enthusiasm keeps me going Barbra! Thank you!