day eight

“Look not at your own capacities, for the divine bestowal can transform a drop into an ocean; it can make a tiny seed a lofty tree. Verily, divine bestowals are like the sea, and we are the fishes of that sea. The fishes must not look at themselves; they must behold the ocean, which is vast and wonderful.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

“O Lord, my God!  Give me Thy grace to serve Thy loved ones, strengthen me in my servitude to Thee, illumine my brow with the light of adoration in Thy court of holiness, and of prayer to Thy kingdom of grandeur.  Help me to be selfless at the heavenly entrance of Thy gate, and aid me to be detached from all things within Thy holy precincts.  Lord!  Give me to drink from the chalice of selflessness; with its robe clothe me, and in its ocean immerse me.  Make me as dust in the pathway of Thy loved ones, and grant that I may offer up my soul for the earth ennobled by the footsteps of Thy chosen ones in Thy path, O Lord of Glory in the Highest.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá

anjali pala/left (eliot, usa): I spent this fasting weekend at the Green Acre Baha’i School, breathing in wide gulps of bracing New England air and taking time for quiet reflection, study, laughter, and prayer. I am ready to return to New York and all that it holds for me.

shahriar erfanian/right (vancouver, canada): Praying for spiritual growth and steadfastness.  Grateful for everything in my life.  Hopeful that my 1.5-year-old son won’t try to force-feed me pretzels for the remainder of the fast.