So Tender
Last night at Mr. Dunbar's class, before we launched into the study material, he spoke to us a little bit about the nature of tests. It was so beautiful, I wanted to share.
He said that 'Abdu'l-Baha explained that God tests us in our weakest areas. And He sends us the same tests over and over again. And we fail them over and over again. "He sends you a test. You fail. He sends you the test again. You fail again. Test. Fail. Test. Fail." But the beauty of this is that finally you get to a point of a desperation. A point where all you can do is lean on Baha'u'llah, and beg Him to assist you. And He will. All you had to do was ask, was really lean on Him. So then, we beg Him to help us, to guide us, to hold our hand through it. God sends us the test again. We pass. And, apparently, 'Abdu'l-Baha says in one of His tablets (paraphrasing, of course) that whenever life gets too hard, too unbearable, lean on me.
Oh, I just love this sweet, precious faith so much. It's so tender. Truly. Every day here, I see another example of the kindness, the compassion, the mercy that is so inherent even in the strictest of laws. Even in God's wrathful justice, there is a compassion. He chastens because He loves us. Like the gardener plucking the weeds from the garden of our heart. That's what these tests really do.
"My calamity is My providence. Outwardly, it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly, it is mercy and light."
But this faith is love and is compassion in the most obvious ways, too. Later this week I'll post two of my favorite annecdotes about 'Abdu'l-Baha during His visits in the West. How He embraced the most dejected people- how He showered them with love, with true love, love of the Kingdom. How He made them feel noble again. Like they were worth something, even when everyone around them made them feel worthless.
'Abdu'l-Baha's gentle spirit, deep reservoir of forgiveness and compassion, so often moves me to tears.
So, so tender.
He said that 'Abdu'l-Baha explained that God tests us in our weakest areas. And He sends us the same tests over and over again. And we fail them over and over again. "He sends you a test. You fail. He sends you the test again. You fail again. Test. Fail. Test. Fail." But the beauty of this is that finally you get to a point of a desperation. A point where all you can do is lean on Baha'u'llah, and beg Him to assist you. And He will. All you had to do was ask, was really lean on Him. So then, we beg Him to help us, to guide us, to hold our hand through it. God sends us the test again. We pass. And, apparently, 'Abdu'l-Baha says in one of His tablets (paraphrasing, of course) that whenever life gets too hard, too unbearable, lean on me.
Oh, I just love this sweet, precious faith so much. It's so tender. Truly. Every day here, I see another example of the kindness, the compassion, the mercy that is so inherent even in the strictest of laws. Even in God's wrathful justice, there is a compassion. He chastens because He loves us. Like the gardener plucking the weeds from the garden of our heart. That's what these tests really do.
"My calamity is My providence. Outwardly, it is fire and vengeance, but inwardly, it is mercy and light."
But this faith is love and is compassion in the most obvious ways, too. Later this week I'll post two of my favorite annecdotes about 'Abdu'l-Baha during His visits in the West. How He embraced the most dejected people- how He showered them with love, with true love, love of the Kingdom. How He made them feel noble again. Like they were worth something, even when everyone around them made them feel worthless.
'Abdu'l-Baha's gentle spirit, deep reservoir of forgiveness and compassion, so often moves me to tears.
So, so tender.
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