I want to say a few words now about the Guardianship. “And when ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ passed away, the whole world became dark for him (Shoghi Effendi). All light had gone out. And when he came to the Holy Land, he had in mind, from the things ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ had said to him, and I am telling you what he said, that ‘I had in mind that ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’ would give me the honor of calling the great conclave together which would elect the Universal House of Justice. And I thought in His Will and Testament that that was probably what He was instructing be done.’ ” ‘But,’ he said, ‘instead of that, I found that I was appointed the Guardian of the Cause of God.’ He said, ‘I didn’t want to be the Guardian of the Cause. In the first place, I didn’t think I was worthy. Next place, I didn’t want to face these responsibilities.’ ” ‘I didn’t want to be the Guardian. I knew what it meant. I knew that my life as a human being was over. I didn’t want it, and I didn’t want to face it. So as you’ll remember, I left the Holy Land. And I went up into the mountains of Switzerland, and I fought with myself until I conquered myself. Then I came back and I turned myself over to God, and I was the Guardian.’ ” ‘Now,’ he said, ‘Every Bahá’í in the world, every person in the world, has to do exactly that same thing. Whether you’re a Hand of the Cause, whether you’re a Knight of Bahá’u’lláh, whether you’re a member of a national Assembly, whether you’re a teacher, whether you’re a pioneer, whether you’re an administrator, regardless of what you are, with anything in the Cause, every Bahá’í must fight with himself and conquer himself. And when he has conquered himself, then he becomes a true instrument for the service of the Cause of God. And not until then! This is what every Bahá’í in the world should know.’ (A Talk by Hand of the Cause of God Leroy Ioas Transcribed from a recording made in Johannesburg, South Africa, October 31, 1958)
This is one of my favorite stories and the part that has always resonates with me is “I fought with myself until I conquered myself” and “every person in the world, has to do exactly that same thing”.
I’m sure I first heard this when I was a new Bahá’í, and God knows, I tried! But here I am, 40 years later, with a much deeper appreciation of what exactly that means. The older I get, the more I understand myself and my motives, and the better I see the veils between me and God; the more I have to “fight with myself till I conquer myself”. As I set the bar higher and even higher with every Writing I read; and every letter from the House of Justice I strive to understand; and every Ruhi book I tutor, I often collapse under the weight of so mighty an effort.
Recently I watched the new movie the House of Justice commissioned on the occasion of the Centenary of the passing of `Abdu’l-Bahá (Glimpses of a Hundred Years of Endeavor), and what stood out for me was that all the progress of the Faith stands on the shoulders of those who came before us, and as we die, the progress of the Faith will stand on our shoulders.
I get inspired by stories of the early believers, and long for my service to match theirs, but I’m not them. As important as they were in their day, they alone were not responsible for establishing the Most Great Peace, nor am I. I just need to keep conquering myself, one day, one decision at a time.
Knowing that the more I struggle to conquer myself, the more I become a true instrument for the service of the Cause of God, and I am 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 Getting to Know Your Lower Nature
Thanks Susan. I’m 73 now and still struggling with food addiction that causes debilitating pain thus limiting what I can do for the cause, followed by shame and guilt. I would like to order your book for some direction. I have gone through extended periods of being clean.
That’s a great example, Lana. My book “Getting to Know your Lower Nature” is on the Amazon best seller list and available in Walmart’s online catalogue – though of all the titles I’ve written, this is the one I expected would be least liked by people. You might also like “Letting Go of Sin and Temptation” for dealing with food issues. The section on temptation has been really helpful to me (though every quote in every book has been helpful to me!) 🙂
Thanks Lana for your humble transparency with this aspect of our lower nature. And Thankyou Susan for a very inspiring story. I loved reading it. Conquering our selves comes in both flavours- both giving up what seems to feed us and also taking on service tasks that we may not want. This post and Lana’s comment illustrated both. That being said- I must say that every single time I have , by God’s grace, been able to achieve either-I have only experienced gratitude, relief and joy.
Yes, that’s such an important description of God’s confirmations Nancy. Thank you!
Received my copy today, look forward to delving into it. Much love, Lana
I appreciate the support Lana! Hope you find something that turns things around for you!
I read the stories of earlier Baha’is for courage and strength. If they struggled and accomplished, I can also struggle and maybe accomplish. I have found, when my actions are aligned with the Covenant, and done simply for love of Baha’u’llah, there are sometimes results – and those results amaze me. Sometimes I don’t know the results until years later, that lets me know that there are other results I don’t know about. It is a constant struggle and, after fifty years, I’ve resigned to the struggle being constant. As God wills!
I love seeing the results of my efforts, too Duane – sometimes it feels like seeing the ripples in a pond, after a stone has been thrown.
I’ve had to stop reading the biographies of early believers, because I fall into “compare and despair”, so I need to read them when I’m feeling grounded. Traditionally that’s when I’ve been pioneering.
A great topic and a wonderful story! I think it’s really important to listen deeply to each other, as Baha’is but also others, for the struggles each of us go through. I’m also reminded of the prayer for teaching, which says “make them victorious”, BEFORE becoming like a regiment, not after! :
Revealed to the Bahá’ís of the United States and Canada
O Thou incomparable God! O Thou Lord of the Kingdom! These souls are Thy heavenly army. Assist them and, with the cohorts of the Supreme Concourse, make them victorious, so that each one of them may become like unto a regiment and conquer these countries through the love of God and the illumination of divine teachings…
Wow Ed! Thanks for that! I’d never paid attention to the order before, and I agree – it’s important!
Thank you for this quote. It is the second quote today that speaks to me of the same thing. So happy I read this.
My pleasure, Sandy! I’m so glad God used me to send you the message He wants you to hear! Ya Baha’u’l-Abha!