I am a firm believer that every soul that God places upon this earthly pilgrimage comes with Heavenly Guidance! It’s hard for me to imagine a loving God abandoning His highest form of creation. It must instead be that His highest creation tends to abandon Him–especially when happy and content or blessed with perceived success. But when troubles descend, the first outcry is “O God!” even when there has been little if any prior communication between you. It’s as comedian Nipsy Russell once stated: “Help a man when he’s in trouble. Help him and never complain. Help him and he will remember you–when he gets in trouble again.”
We have all heard the familiar cleche’ “Only the strong survive.” However as one matures through the stages and ages the expression begins to take on more subtle meaning, sometimes questioning, “How does one acquire substantial strength to even survive?” But then strength comes in many forms through different modes with Spiritual strength (through man’s Creator) most certainly championing them all. Also from Whom come our Signs of Guidance!
Physical, mental and spiritual strength are all perfected through dedicated nurturing. For maximum strength such nurturing should begin with infancy through the parent(s)–or guardian who does not allow the infant to be “left to drift in a modern world laden with social, moral and physical dangers” as referred to in the Baha’i Holy Writings. Physical strength is contingent upon good physical health and proper nourishment and exercise. Junk food and inactivity can neither produce nor sustain a healthy physical mind or body. Neither can junk television, movies, tapes/videos, etc. produce healthy minds and morals. The physical, mental and especially the moral and spiritual training must begin with infancy for best results.
When we place, and subsequently encourage emphasis placed by others -upon physical beauty, personal possessions, junk foods and junk fads we are setting the standards for a socially, spiritually and politically deformed society. It requires a maximum of physical, mental, moral, spiritual and especially political and military restraint to ward off the innumerable threats to today’s delicate immune systems.
As we continue to emphasize the spiritual aspect of our Signs of Guidance, I am forever reminded of one Native American’s response to an interviewer’s question of his definition of the difference between religion and spirituality–to which he remarked: “Religion is what you get when you’re scared to go to hell. Spirituality is what you get when you’ve been there!”
May we endeavor to “Behold our clear (often repetitive) signs of Guidance!” that we may never have to experience that difference. (Investigate–1-800-22UNITE)
