"...With clear vision we are enabled to struggle onward and upward, ever progressing in the paths of virtue and holiness, and becoming the means of light to the world." -'Abdu'l-Bahá
In the past 4 days I rediscovered how powerful it can be to mindfully set intentions (see my 9/5/08 post), for with purity of heart and divine guidance, it's hard to go astray when we have clarity of vision!
The above quote feels highly relevant to me in light of three key questions that came up over the weekend at a retreat on Mt. Hermon that I had the privilege of attending with my dear friend, M.
1) What is my next step of faith? I found this question to be very powerful, and also practical. A step of faith doesn't imply a leap -- each one of us can open our hearts to little baby steps of faith every day. And by faith I don't mean blind faith; rather, I understand it to mean seeking to further align our actions with the teachings that have been revealed to us through humanity's greatest teachers, whom Baha'is refer to as the "Manifestations" (a.k.a. folks like Jesus Christ, the Buddha, Krishna, Mohamed, Abraham...)
2) What dreams do I have that I need to hand back over to God? Having clarity about our dreams is the first step in learning to detach them being fulfilled only in our narrowly prescribed way/time frame. But, as I was discussing with my stepmom last night, detaching doesn't mean giving up one's vision/dreams. One still perseveres... while also leaving room for "God's final authority" to answer our dreams in a way that leads to our greatest spiritual growth.
3) In what things is God asking us to persevere? Again, it seems necessary to first clarify what things God really has destined for us. Or, one could pray to be shown in what things to persevere. It seems that questions 2 and 3 are intricately connected.
I'd love to hear folks' thoughts on how we go about clarifying the answers to any of these questions. I will say, from my experience this weekend and the rewards of the efforts of preparing for today, that setting clear intentions definitely helps!!!
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