I Believe

For everything there is a sign. The sign of love is fortitude under My decree and patience under My trials.

—Bahá’u’lláh, The Arabic Hidden Words 48.

In these days I’ve been learning about many things—justice and fair-mindedness, synchronicities, the power of deterministic conditioning, the vast and sacred worth of women’s hearts, the profound sorrow when men have not yet learned to connect with their feelings, the preciousness of nurturing true friendships, and the excellence of Transformative Leadership and its call to higher development. Through prayer and meditation, I have also received a new and potent metaphor for my life: The Most Great Garden.

But today I want to share a surprising and subtle, long-awaited moment: stepping fully into the light from the darkness of a cocoon. Like a butterfly leaving behind a tangled, messy chrysalis, I am free.

There is always an important difference between friends and tested friends. No matter how precious the first type may be, the future of the Cause rests upon the latter.

—Shoghi Effendi, The Light of Divine Guidance, vol. 1, p. 34-35.

I have finally reached acceptance in one of life’s hardest lessons, perhaps hardest of all for the highly sensitive: to forgive fully, and to perceive even the enemy as a friend.

I have never used the word enemy, yet I have come to understand it. An enemy is one who, unable or unwilling to grasp the truths of the heart, acts in ways that cause harm or sadness. My own experience has been one of deep anguish, yet through this trial has also come profound insight into justice, peace, unity, and the moral responsibility each of us bears for the impact of our words and our silences, our deeds and our neglect.

This is the highest form of forgiveness: transforming the enemy into a friend.

Grief and sorrow do not come to us by chance, they are sent to us by the Divine Mercy for our own perfecting.

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 50.

As the garden of my heart grows, I hope to share the lessons of this trial, now transformed into fertile soil—lessons that, I believe, will strengthen me tenfold, a hundredfold, in the years to come.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá writes:

Wherefore must the loved ones of God associate in affectionate fellowship with stranger and friend alike, showing forth to all the utmost loving-kindness, disregarding the degree of their capacity, never asking whether they deserve to be loved. In every instance let the friends be considerate and infinitely kind. Let them never be defeated by the malice of the people, by their aggression and their hate, no matter how intense. If others hurl their darts against you, offer them milk and honey in return; if they poison your lives, sweeten their souls; if they injure you, teach them how to be comforted; if they inflict a wound upon you, be a balm to their sores; if they sting you, hold to their lips a refreshing cup.

—‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Selections from the Writings of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 24.

A few thoughtful questions to consider. Perhaps these questions may also serve you, as they serve me, in moving forward with clarity and strength:

1. What does freedom feel like in my heart, and how can I nurture it each day?

2. How can I water the “Most Great Garden” within me so that it continues to grow in strength and beauty?

3. In what ways can I practice forgiveness while still honoring healthy boundaries?

4. How can I transform the insights gained from this trial into service for justice, peace, and unity?

5. Where am I being called to use my newfound strength—tenfold or a hundredfold—for the healing and upliftment of others?

May we all step forward with courage and trust, knowing that the trials we face are seeds for growth, and that the love, forgiveness, and insight we cultivate within ourselves ripple outward into the world. In nurturing our own hearts as gardens, we contribute to the health, wellbeing, and moral and spiritual flourishing of humanity.

If there is anyone in your life who has been the source of pain, may this teaching point the way forward—and may it also awaken healing and strength in every heart. May the melody “Sweeten Their Souls” by Elika Mahoney and Ali Youseffi bring solace and renewal and a sense of hope.