It's not what we think, it's what He thinks.
From the Naw Ruz prayer...
Since Thou hast adorned them, O my Lord, with the ornament of the fast prescribed by Thee, do Thou adorn them also with the ornament of Thine acceptance, through Thy grace and bountiful favor. For the doings of men are all dependent upon Thy good-pleasure, and are conditioned by Thy behest. Shouldst Thou regard him who hath broken the fast as one who hath observed it, such a man would be reckoned among them who from eternity had been keeping the fast. And shouldst Thou decree that he who hath observed the fast hath broken it, that person would be numbered with such as have caused the Robe of Thy Revelation to be stained with dust, and been far removed from the crystal waters of this living Fountain.(Baha'u'llah, Prayers and Meditations by Baha'u'llah, p. 67)
2 comments:
this brought a tear to my eye
and
i was thinking about this just now!
I was am a foreigner and so this prayer was said in a language i don't speak,I did not mind and
although I gained ,i felt lost.
this makes me feel more a part of.
thanks.
Wow. Thank you for your comment.
This is a prayer I often think about, even when I am not fasting. To me, this last part of this paragraph pushes me towards detachment. Any action we take, including the fast, we cannot do it based on what reward we think we might get in this or the next world. We are not in the position to judge if our actions would ultimately be accepted by God. So the best we could do is to follow His teachings for the love of Him, and leave it up to God to decide what is acceptable and what is not. There is no room for our "self" to come in this process.
I have been in countries where I did not speak their language too. Feasts and Firesides are sometimes hard because we have no idea what is being said, and it is hard to share what we feel. In such times, all I could do is smile and be patient, or say prayers in my heart for the seekers.
It's also a good time to secretly meditate, though others would not know because I keep my eyes open!
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