There is no greater result than bonds of service in the
divine Kingdom and attainment to the good pleasure of the Lord. Therefore, I
desire that your hearts may be directed to the Kingdom of God, that your
intentions may be pure and sincere, your purposes turned toward altruistic
accomplishment unmindful of your own welfare; nay, rather, may all your
intentions center in the welfare of humanity, and may you seek to sacrifice
yourselves in the pathway of devotion to mankind. Even as Jesus Christ
forfeited His life, may you, likewise, offer yourselves in the threshold of
sacrifice for the betterment of the world; and just as Bahá’u’lláh suffered
severe ordeals and calamities nearly fifty years for you, may you be willing to
undergo difficulties and withstand catastrophes for humanity in general. May
you bear these trials and tests most willingly and joyously, for every night is
followed by a day, and every day has a night. Every spring has an autumn, and
every autumn has its spring.
- 'Abdu'l-Baha (From a talk by ‘Abdu’l-Baha, 24 April 1912,
Washington, DC; ‘The Promulgation of Universal Peace: Talks Delivered by
'Abdu'l-Bahá during His Visit to the United States and Canada in 1912’)
