Do you think it is the teachers who make converts and change human hearts? No, surely not. They are only pure souls who take the first step, and then let the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh move them and make use of them. If any one of them should even for a second consider his achievements as due to his own capacities, his work is ended, and his fall starts. This is in fact the reason why so many competent souls have after wonderful services suddenly found themselves absolutely impotent and perhaps thrown aside by the Spirit of the Cause as useless souls. The criterion is the extent to which we are ready to have the Will of God operate through us. Stop being conscious of your frailties, therefore; have a perfect reliance upon God; let your heart burn with the desire to serve His mission and proclaim His call; and you will observe how eloquence and the power to change human hearts will come as a matter of course. (Shoghi Effendi, Principles of Bahai Administration, p. 26)
I absolutely have a love/hate relationship to this quote. On the one hand it reminds me to”stop being conscious of my frailties and have perfect reliance on God” (about which I need frequent reminders) and on the other, it makes me despair that in my burnout and adrenal exhaustion, this might mean I’m one of those “many competent souls have after wonderful services suddenly found themselves absolutely impotent and perhaps thrown aside by the Spirit of the Cause as useless souls.” I know that these kinds of thoughts are just another way to beat myself up with the Writings and cause me to fail to recognize my nobility. In that moment, I need to “have perfect reliance on God” that what I’m doing is enough. This is one of my most frequent tests these days.
Once I can set aside this consciousness of my frailties, there are certain things I need to do, according to this quote. I need to:
- let go of any belief that my achievements are due to my own capacity
- be ready to have the Will of God operate through me
- have a perfect reliance upon God
- let my heart burn with the desire to serve His mission and proclaim His call
- take the first step, and then let the spirit of Bahá’u’lláh move me and make use of me
Finally, I love when promises are embedded in quotes. In this case we’re promised that if we let go of all consciousness of our frailties and do these things, we will observe how eloquence and the power to change human hearts will come as a matter of course. Don’t we all want it to be that easy?
Knowing that God keeps His promises when do what’s asked of me, I am grateful!
What jumped out for you as you read today’s meditation? I’d love it if you would share so we can all expand our knowledge of the Writings!
If you liked this meditation, you might also like my book Learning How to Forgive
I saw appreciate your sharing of these quotations and your insightful comments Susan ! I feel exactly as you do when at times I’m tired and exhausted and don’t always know why and what to attribute that to. It could be a deadly misperception to think is primarily due to the disclosure of God. It can be tricky business and takes discernment to realize that we are to be aware of our own spiritual gifts and powers and bring them out i.e. the Institute process. On the other hand to be entirely detached and selfless when especially in relation to the cause great successes begin to happen and to attribute this to The concourse alone. Maybe fully accepting “ whatever may come to pass“ with the combination of selflessness and mobility exemplified by AbdulBaha is the balance. Hope you’re well. Loren
Yes, these are definite pitfalls to avoid Loren. Another one is to remember that there’s only one ‘Abdu’l-Baha and I’m not Him! I can strive for excellence knowing I’ll never reach the perfection I used to always strive for. It’s been a relief to lower the bar and accept my limitations instead of fighting against them to be someone I was never created to be.
Ahh, Susan, I know exactly what you mean about the love-hate relationship with this quote. Just a few weeks ago I was despairing that I was the wrong person to be trying to teach a certain youth who seemed to be drifting further from the faith. In fact I was also considering stepping aside as a JY animator. “I testify at this moment to my powerlessness and to Thy might…”. I prayed for guidance, then consulted with one trusted person. Now, just a few weeks later, that youth has joined a Ruhi 1 study circle and another JY has just joined our group. I think even after 50 yrs of being Bahá’i I still carry a lot of ‘catholic guilt’ (even though I was protestant, not catholic) and constantly ‘self flagellate’. I must constantly remind myself to do both…to be both…ie. to be ‘anxiously concerned with the needs’ and ‘to deliberate on requirements’, but also to hear, enjoy and bask in the Sweet Melody and drink deeply of the Water of Life. To be a joyful person and to trust that when my motives are pure, when I have prayed and am attempting to follow the guidance to the best of my understanding and within the circumstances of my life, that I am doing what God wants me to do. And I am always amazed how quickly the confirmations come!
Great story Beth! Thank you! I agree – it’s amazing whenever I pray for those who irritate me or rub me the wrong way or just don’t feel like a “fit”. God always removes the irritation and smooths out the rough edges and I’m able to find creative ways to serve I never could have imagined before.
I’m like a yoyo, having this feeling of relying, then feeling powerless. It’s like the story of Sisyphus, having the stone roll down the hill again and again. Lots of prayer helps, and reflection, and of course study and service. “It’s what it is, deal with it!”, someone has said.
I agree Edward! I totally relate to Sisyphus. I don’t think that’s what God wants from us though. I really think He wants to move the stone for us and stands willing to do it, every time I remember to ask.
Easy to say, to deal with it!
One thing that we must start to internalize in our deep consciousness is the dynamics of life on this planet, a continuous flow of ups and downs, of progress and decay, of “crisis and victory” as Shoghi Effendi used to describe. For a living being to live, another has to die, for progress to take place something must be sacrificed, hence sacrifice is absolutely paramount for progress.
Even energy, light, in their essence are ondulatory, a continuous line of ups and downs is seen in every frequency wave. Linearity is basically non-existent on the physical world. In the same way permanente happiness, well-being is just a mere utopia…
Well said Pedro! It helps me to remember that ebbs and flows are natural, so when I’m in ebb, I don’t have to judge myself or try to force myself back into flow before it’s time. I wish I knew this 30 years ago!
Your burnout and exhaustion are NOT caused by pride. Pride is the cause of the fall. Your (and my) burnout and exhaustion are the natural result of pushing ourselves to the extremes of service without rest. Yet, ‘Abdu’l-Baha says we should rest too. Neither you nor I have learned that. As children we were not allowed to rest or play. I recently found this quote from Star of the West: “Now you have to rest and repose for some time and let your strength and breath be renewed. When a bird has been soaring in the air for a long time,it has to come down and rest for a while: after a long walk one must be seated and take some rest.” After five decades of service, I’m trying to learn that so I can continue and finish various projects while I’m still here.
What a wonderful quote! I hadn’t seen it before. Thank you Duane!
I have explored the topic of rest more thoroughly at:
The Importance of Good Self-Care: http://www.ninestarsolutions.com/the-importance-of-good-self-care/
The Need for Rest: https://www.ninestarsolutions.com/the-need-for-rest/
How Do We Start Taking Care of Our Own Needs? http://www.ninestarsolutions.com/how-do-we-start-taking-care-of-our-own-needs/
How To Take Care Of Yourself And Not Feel Guilty! http://www.ninestarsolutions.com/how-to-take-care-of-yourself-and-not-feel-guilty/