Little by Little, Day by Day

This post is a reflection based on this story of Abdu’l-Baha:

It is quickly becoming evident that the virtue of each reflection is my test du jour.  Trusting in God is the theme of recent days because we are

homeless,

jobless,

and penniless.

The sacrifice of our recent full-time service is being keenly felt now in these days of two digit bank account holdings, scouring the internet for possible jobs and carefully whittling down what we own to fit into the trunk and back seat of a car.

As we sit side-by-side at night and pray, we are grateful. Grateful for our families for taking us in and enveloping us with warmth and food (emphasis on the warmth, as this is our first winter in several years). And grateful for the sweetness of each other’s company in this “we’ll look back at this and laugh in 20 years” time.

You know the saying, “Trust in God but tie your camel”? In this instance as I try my bestest to trust in God and do my utmost to remedy our situation, I think the saying should be amended to “Trust in God but do all in your power to buy, feed, ride and then tie your camel”. Because relying on God is not passive. I think that by working to change your situation you demonstrate that you are putting your reliance on the Almighty; you are more easily guided when in motion. And by reflecting on His words as we work, we become even more attuned to that guidance. The other night my husband read me the following words of the Blessed Beauty:

Were any man to ponder in his heart that which the pen of the Most High hath revealed and to taste of its sweetness, he would, of a certainly, find himself emptied and delivered from his own desires, and utterly subservient to the Will of the Almighty. Happy is the man that hath attained so high a station, and hath not deprived himself of so bountiful a grace.