Friday, June 10, 2011

Pilgrimage Day 5: The Strength Behind Those Blessed Eyes

" 'I fought with myself until I conquered myself. Then I came back and I turned myself over to God and I was the Guardian.’ ‘Now,’ he said, ‘every Bahá’í in the world, every person in the world has to do exactly that same thing… regardless of what you are, whatever you are doing in the Cause, every Bahá’í must fight with himself and conquer himself. And when he has conquered himself, then he becomes a true instrument for the service of the Cause of God—and not until that. And he will not achieve as great a success until he has done it." - Quoting Shoghi Effendi from a talk given by Leroy Ioas


Even as a child upon his Grandfather’s knee
His destiny was written on the pages of fate
A burden and blessing would be His to be carried
A lifelong responsibility, an uncompromising weight

When his Grandfather died and the Will was read
His life as he knew it had ended
So he retreated to nature to conquer himself
To become the one on whom the world now depended

The sorrow and anguish faced in His path
Are more profound then words can mention
His achievements far greater than a poem can share
His courage and strength beyond comprehension

He brought administration through his faith and persistence
Guidance through his interpretive translations
Political relations through his trustworthiness and honesty
And the exponential spread of this Cause to all nations

Without his light bringing unity to our collective history
This Faith would have perished like many before
But he guided it through, he built the foundation
For pilgrims and lovers to pray at His door