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Original post: 5 things to do while youâre waiting for the 95 youth conferences, March 4, 2013
So, letâs say youâre pretty new to all of this BahĂĄâĂ stuffâmaybe you heard about BahĂĄâĂ from a friend, you looked into it, and you were impressed by what you saw: People of all backgrounds, whether ethnic, racial, religious, or national, all working together to build communities based on unity, tolerance, kindness, love and justice. And you want to know how you can help.
Young man and woman drawing a map on a large sheet of paperOr letâs say that youâve been a BahĂĄâĂ, but youâve been busy for a whileâtoo busy to join in with all the excitement thatâs been happening in neighbourhoods around your city or region. Maybe you heard about teaching projects and institute campaigns taking place, and it seemed like there was amazing stuff going on, but it just wasnât for you back then. But now, things have changed. Maybe it was the outpouring of creative activity that marked the recent bicentenary celebrations, or an inspiration brought by a recent message from the Universal House of Justiceâregardless, you want to learn how you can be part of the process.
No matter who you are or what your situation is, itâs not too hard to get involved. Here are five little tipsâcall them humble suggestionsâthat can help you get up to speed on what BahĂĄâĂs are doing to try and make their neighbourhoods better, and help you make your own mark in your community.
1. Brush up on the latest guidance. Before stepping bravely into the field of service, it might be a good idea to know where the Bahaâi community has been since the dawn of the 21st century, and where things stand right now. If the âFive Year Planâ just makes you shake your head in confusion, take a few minutes to learn about the series of Five Year Plans that started in 2001, and how those plansâand the framework they presentedâhave evolved over time. You may have read all or part of the 29 December 2015 message already; why not take a half-hour out of your morning to study it a little more? In my humble opinion, this message is a work of artâone that gives us a sense of what the current Five Year Plan is all about, and what the Universal House of Justice is calling on us to do. The 2017 RidvĂĄn message is another good piece of guidance to study, as is the October 2017 message âTo all who celebrate the Glory of Godâ, which marked the Bicentenary of the Birth of BahĂĄâuâllĂĄh.
2. Get trained up, and put your new insights into practice. Having brushed up on the latest guidance, youâll probably see a trend emerge: the institute process is where itâs at, and itâs a huge part of the Plan. If youâre new to it, get some friends together, study the first of the sequence of training coursesâRuhi Book 1âand put the insights into practice. Book 1, which examines the nature of prayer and the life of the soul, is a stepping stone towards starting a devotional gathering, a space where people can gather to remember God, study sacred Writings, and learn what it means for people of all backgrounds to worship together. Later courses focus on other, increasingly complex kinds of discourse and social action, such as making short presentations during home visits, teaching classes for the moral and spiritual education of children, telling the stories of the BĂĄb and BahĂĄâuâllĂĄh, animating groups for the spiritual empowerment of junior youth, and more. You may not end up devoting your life to each of these activities, but each will become a valuable part of a toolkit that increases your overall capacity to serve humanity.
3. Pick a path of service. The call of the Universal House of Justice is pretty clear: we are standing at a pivotal moment in history. âFor the present generation,â they wrote in their 8 February 2013 letter, âthe moment has come to reflect, to commit, to steel themselves for a life of service from which blessing will flow in abundance.â Naturally, we might wonder: Can I really do a âlife of serviceâ? What should I be doing to serve? Well as they say, every journey starts with a single step, and the first step into service is just to pick something and start doing it. Maybe youâve studied Ruhi Book 5 and found it awesome, so you might decide to dedicate yourself to empowering and inspiring junior youth. Or maybe youâve found that youâre best at teaching younger children, or studying the Word of God with youth or adults, or sharing prayers with others, or visiting those who are isolated or ill, and so on. Wherever it is that your talents lie, you can focus on using them to serve mankind. And if youâre not sure where your path lies, then it doesnât hurt just to try something out to gain some experience.
4. Get to know your neighbourhood. Go back ten or fifteen years and ask any youth where they planned to go and offer a year of service, and youâd get a list of destinations scattered across the planet. Nowadays, though, donât be surprised if you hear young people telling you theyâll be staying right where they are. The focus for service is shifting closer and closer to homeâfrom your own city to your neighbourhood. Whether or not you have concrete plans to serve, a great way to prepare is to just look at your neighbourhood. Are there a lot of young families, elderly couples, single mothers? Do they have young children or junior youth? What are their pastimes, their concerns, and their hopes for the future? The more you learn about your neighbours, the better you can build close, loving connections that will not only enable you to serve better, but uplift the whole community.
5. Pray, meditate, and conquer yourself. This might just be one of the most important things you can do to prepare. When Shoghi Effendi learned that âAbduâl-BahĂĄ had appointed him as the Guardian, he retreated for a long time to Switzerland in order to pray and meditate, until he conquered himselfâat which point he returned to the Holy Land to become the Guardian. Prayer gives us strength to meet lifeâs challenges. In fact, âAbduâl-BahĂĄ assures us that if we pray for strength, it will be given to us, âno matter how difficult the conditionsââno matter how reluctant, inadequate and powerless we may feel. And through meditation and reflection, He explains, one âreceives the breath of the Holy Spiritâ; meditation âfrees man from the animal nature, discerns the reality of things, puts man in touch with God.â The challenge laid before us by the Universal House of Justice will require us to reflect, to commit, and to steel ourselves, calling on a strength that is beyond ourselves, and relying on an abundant flow of blessingsâand to accomplish this, deepening our spiritual life through prayer, meditation and reflection will be essential.
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