Service

Service to humanity is a reflection of service to God[edit]

A. B. "Let us look at the glorious life of Christ and those sanctified souls who came after him. Did they not embody in their deeds the ideals of their words? There have appeared many philosophers in the world, but they are all forgotten. But because Christ was the Spirit and the Word of God, he and his disciples through him, became the fountains of the water of life. Now I hope that like unto them thou wilt be the means of the illumination of the world of humanity and serve God."

H. S. "Serve God? There is no one in this world who can serve God, because we are not able to see Him. He is above our human ken. In my mind the only way we can serve Him is to serve mankind and try to alleviate the sorrows and sufferings of the people."

A. B. "Christ served God and his apostles served God. Their service was to humanity, which was a reflection of their service to God."

(Attributed to 'Abdu'l-Bahá, Star of the West, Volume 7, Issue 3, p. 21)

From Lights of Guidance[edit]

(Should be further subcategorized or possibly moved to a subcategory)

Service as Magnet for Divine Confirmation[edit]

"...There is nothing that brings success in the Faith like service. Service is the magnet which draws the divine confirmations. Thus, when a person is active, they are blessed by the Holy Spirit. When they are inactive, the Holy Spirit cannot find a repository in their being, and thus they are deprived of its healing and quickening rays."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, July 12, 1952: Living the Life, p. 18, in Lights of Guidance, no. 405)

Assistance of Hosts of Divine Concourse[edit]

"...An individual must center his whole heart and mind on service to the Cause, in accordance with the high standards set by Bahá'u'lláh. When this is done, the hosts of the Supreme Concourse will come to the assistance of the individual, and every difficulty and trial will gradually be overcome."

(From a letter written on behalf of the Guardian to an individual believer, October 6, 1954: Living the Life, p. 19, in Lights of Guidance, no. 406)

An Irresistible Urge to Serve--Do Not Look at Your Shortcomings[edit]

"...This irresistible urge to serve which you feel and which has prompted you to offer yourself for work in the teaching field is itself a clear indication that you are being guided by the Almighty to attain your highest and noblest goal in this life. For what a greater destiny can you hope to seek except that which Bahá'u'lláh has traced for every one of His loyal believers, namely to consecrate one's all to the service and glorification of His Faith! This assurance should indeed fortify your hopes, and enable you to banish every sense of dissatisfaction, and of unworthiness which may linger in your heart, and which may deter you from participating joyously and actively in serving the Cause. You should not look at your limitations, but derive full confidence at the thought that, however limited your resources and capacities may be, your efforts will be reinforced by Divine confirmations, provided you do your share and discharge your obligations as a believer, fully and conscientiously. Your perseverance will, even as a magnet, draw upon you the favours and blessings of Bahá'u'lláh. Do feel happy and confident, therefore, and fortified by such an assurance arise to contribute all that is in your power towards the furtherance and promulgation of our beloved Cause."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, January 30, 1939, in Lights of Guidance, no. 407)

There is No Rule or Standard Requiring a Believer to Serve in One Field at the Exclusion of Others[edit]

"Whatever the particular field of service you may choose, whether teaching or administrative, the essential is for you to persevere, and not to allow any consciousness of your limitations to dampen your zeal, much less to deter you from serving joyously and actively.

"There is no general rule, or any particular standard requiring a believer to serve in one field at the exclusion of others. Every believer is to choose for himself any avenue of work in which he conscientiously feels he can render the greatest amount of service to the Cause. He can seek the advice of his Assembly, and of his fellow-believers before taking such a step, but there is no obligation requiring him to do so."

(From a letter written on behalf of Shoghi Effendi to an individual believer, February 6, 1939, in Lights of Guidance, no. 408)