May your movement and your stillness be guided by the gentle winds of His Will, and may He bestow upon you the enduring bounty of being enabled to serve Him in accordance with His wish. (Universal House of Justice, to the Auxiliary Board members throughout the world, 3 January 2022)
When I first read the 20 or so pages coming out of the series of letters from the Counselors’ conference, outlining the goals of the 9 year plan and the general plans for the next 25 years, I was, as I often am, overwhelmed with the enormity of what we are being asked to do.
I’m still recovering from burn-out and not actively participating in the affairs of my local community, and it all seems totally daunting and overwhelming. Finally, at the end of reading all 4 letters, the House of Justice concluded it all with the above quote, and I immediately recognized it as coming from one of the prayers I often say and burst into tears of relief and gratitude. They understand me and my limits!
Yes, the task ahead of us is rigorous and herculean; and yes, all of the institutions are going to need our support and our best effort, and yes, it’s OK to “let my movement and my stillness be totally directed by God”. In the past, I’ve let the urgency of the plans, and the inactivity of the Bahá’ís around me, cause me to push myself to try to do it all, way beyond the point of endurance and it’s taken a real toll on my physical and mental health.
It’s such a relief to know that the House of Justice has given me permission to be still when I need to be, within the context of these plans! It’s not just Bahá’u’lláh saying this to the world in Prayers and Meditations, it’s the House of Justice saying it in the context of the next 25 years. I don’t have to do it all, and I don’t have to do it today, if today I need to rest. I can forgive myself for not being a “good Baha’i”. Such an incredible relief!
Having permission to move according to the will of God, I am 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 Learning How to Forgive
Thank you Susan. You’re insights so often coincide with what I am trying to learn about. I hadn’t thought about the word stillness in the context you have described. In fact I hadn’t even noticed it! Thank you. 🙏
Yay Alison! I’m happy it resonated!
Hi Susan, Thank you for this. First I want to comment on your remarks, “I can forgive myself for not being a “good Baha’i”. ” But you are being a good Bahá’í by following the guidance through your movement and stillness! In another Writing, and I can’t remember where but I saw it recently, it said , and this is a paraphrase, if you are lying down, sit up, if you’re sitting, stand, if you’re standing, walk, if walking, run. So we aren’t expected to stand up and run…. step by step. Bahá’u’lláh says, “Whoso maketh efforts for Us, in Our ways shall We assuredly guide him.”
This pandemic and the hearing sensitivity I got from Zoom almost two years ago has really affected what I can do. I live in a fairly active community and every thing is on Zoom, but I can’t attend. Hopefully this spring two friends and I are going to start Ruhi Book 8 in person and we are open to a few more joining us. Two of us have been able, when new cases were low, to meet with masks on for Devotionals, and now we do them by phone as long as I’m not suffering from ear pain at the time. It’s been a big change and challenge for me, and hard to accept at times. I pray for forgiveness for what I am forgetting to do, and for removal of difficulties.
Susan -you may not know it but you are a great help to me by sharing your soulful insights. Many of the things you feel i also feel directly and there are so few Baha’is around that can help us with our inner thoughts as the administration are directed towards more collaborative and outward activities which are of course, of immediate necessity. Thank you dear friend.
(you may publish the above)
Thanks for letting me know, Phyllis! I agree – I can’t find people really willing to delve into the Writings to look at what each one means either – even though it’s a skill that Ruhi Book 1 tries to instill.
Awww, thanks Marian! I need to really take that into the core of my being and let myself believe that I am doing enough. Moving with God’s stillness really helps and having permission from the House of Justice in this coming plan, even more so. I too find Zoom a challenge and choose not to participate, and I too am longing for in-person meetings again. I’m just starting to come out of burnout and have a little more energy during the day, but I really need to be careful about not jumping back into things too quickly and burning out again.
Thank you. In my current state of collapse, those last words didn’t register with any meaning. After years of being an Assistant and trying to start core activities in a distant town with only one full time and one part time Baha’i resident, desperate service was all I knew. The last issue of our regional newsletter showed a screen shot of people of the region as they planned for the upcoming conference/s and I felt a twinge not to have been invited. Then I felt relief not to have been invited. My exhaustion had been recognized and I gave thanks. I have a different kind of service that I’ve longed to do for decades. Now maybe I can focus on that. Thank You, Baha’u’llah!!!
Yes, thank you Baha’u’llah for knowing the exact right medicine for the exact right time!
Dear friends, I just said the Fire Tablet slowly for the first time to myself. Have usually recited it under pressure with groups of Baha’i friends at devotions. Realised its not a long prayer after all but a reviver! Derek
Yes, this is such an important point Derek! The fast-food version of prayer is rarely satisfying than really slowing down and saying it mindfully.
movement and stillness. sunrise and sunset. speak and listen. guided by the gentle winds of His Will. gift of the bounty to serve within our changing environment, energy, and capacity.
I also gravitated to the gentle winds of His Will, which gave me comfort.
Me too Lana. I used to say another prayer for aligning with God’s will, which the NSA encouraged us all to memorize many decades ago, until someone pointed out that this one was much gentler. I had to agree. Here’s the other one, so you can see what you think:
I love the pairings, Sheri! Thank you!
This reminds me of one of my favourite prayers: “If it be Thy pleasure, make me to grow as a tender herb in the meadows of Thy grace, that the gentle winds of Thy will may stir me up and bend me into conformity with Thy pleasure, in such wise that my movement and my stillness may be wholly directed by Thee.” Bahá’u’lláh, Prayers and Meditations by Bahá’u’lláh, p. 240
Yes, that’s the one, Nancy! Thanks for sharing (I should have thought of it!)
Ah, dearest Susan. You always hit the nail on the head. Thank you for your candor and your insights.
I’m so grateful it resonates with you Beth!