‘Abdu’l-Bahá said of service in the Secret of Divine Civilization:
| “ | Again, is there any deed in the world that would be nobler than service to the common good? Is there any greater blessing conceivable for a man, than that he should become the cause of the education, the development, the prosperity and honor of his fellow-creatures? No, by the Lord God! The highest righteousness of all is for blessed souls to take hold of the hands of the helpless and deliver them out of their ignorance and abasement and poverty, and with pure motives, and only for the sake of God, to arise and energetically devote themselves to the service of the masses, forgetting their own worldly advantage and working only to serve the general good. "They prefer them before themselves, though poverty be their own lot." "The best of men are those who serve the people; the worst of men are those who harm the people." | ” |
Instead of focusing on acts of service I want to consider our attitude about service on this page. Imagine if you were a person of means and you came across someone in a condition of destitution, it would be a kindness for you to bring them under your wing and provide them with a job. The destitute one, when performing the job may not be doing work that is satisfactory to you. However, you would keep them employed because you know to what condition they would fall if left to themselves. It would be wise for the one on whom mercy had been shown to not be boastful of their newfound job, and instead focus on the development of their craft with humility and a learning attitude. The destitute one who has this attitude will not fall into ego and pride.
As we embark on the path of service, we should recognize God as the one of means, and we are that destitute one. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, and in the Greek the word translated there as poor (ptōchoi) has the definitions of 'destitute of wealth', 'lacking in anything' and 'reduced to beggary'.1 This is not just poor but extremely poor. Doesn't that describe us when compared to God? Compared to perfection we exist in a state of extreme poverty. I think one way to understand this statement is, we are blessed when we recognize the truth of our spiritual condition, and put away all pride we may have developed by comparing ourselves to others.
It is due to the unlimited kindness and generosity of God that we are given work to do. We can not assume therefore that the work we are doing is ultimately going to represent a service to mankind, or that it will be satisfactory in the sight of God. Our work may not be satisfactory, and our employ safeguarded only due to God's love, patience and forgiveness. Therefore as we labor for God we should not develop feelings of pride, as though we are providing some great service to others or to God. God does not need us to carry out His will. Bahá’u’lláh has said "He is rich enough to dispense with all creatures" in the following quote. We should see our service therefore for what it is, not as a service we are performing for others, but a kindness God is providing to us. Were God to take away this job, we would certainly fall back into a state of spiritual destitution.
| “ | It is He Who hath called into being the whole of creation, Who hath caused every created thing to spring forth at His behest. Shall, then, the thing that was born by virtue of the word which His Pen hath revealed, and which the finger of His Will hath directed, be regarded as partner with Him, or an embodiment of His Self? Far be it from His glory that human pen or tongue should hint at His mystery, or that human heart conceive His Essence. All else besides Him stand poor and desolate at His door, all are powerless before the greatness of His might, all are but slaves in His Kingdom. He is rich enough to dispense with all creatures. -Gleanings | ” |
