the magic of love

"Happiness consists of two kinds; physical and spiritual. The physical happiness is limited; its utmost duration is one day, one month, one year. It hath no result. Spiritual happiness is eternal and unfathomable. This kind of happiness appeareth in one's soul with the love of God and suffereth one to attain to the virtues and perfections of the world of humanity. Therefore, endeavor as much as thou art able in order to illuminate the lamp of thy heart by the light of love."
 

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of Abdu'l-Baha v3, p. 673 

each day we have the capacity to be a channel of divine spirit in this life.  it depends on seeing everything that is happening with a spiritual eye, and looking at all people with the beauty of God in them.

as i settle into Nairobi i find myself having a unique experience already.  despite the diversity and long associations of different peoples living here, there is still surprise amongst the people here who are not white that i am being genuinely friendly and caring toward them.   i am able to love people simply for the sake of them being loved by God.  this love is expressed through smiling, thumbs up in appreciation for someone's deed, sharing chocolates and other things we have as a way of thanks, and a lighthearted, genuine exchange of joyful greetings (mostly in Swahili).  the world is longing for the love of God to be exchanged and received without any conditional self-interest involved.  to me, this is the magic of love..

while being stuck in traffic, or rolling up my car window to block out the black fumes coming out of tailpipes, i have been smiling at people when i connect with them in their car or on the side of the road.  as i meet guards and house cleaners, i treat them with dignity and high regard as i appreciate the work they do.  i am looking for the beauty of God in all things and creating my own reality of beauty and joy throughout the day.  it is truly like a magnet which attracts the heart of another human being.

here in Nairobi there is an overall sense of fear and lack of trust, which of course go hand in hand with one another.  i practice wisdom by keeping my purse close at all times and locking everything; i don't walk around at night or keep my car window open in the evenings as a protection from criminal attempts on my life.  but aside from being wise in my affairs, and staying out of areas that are known for crime, i feel that most people are hard-working and goodhearted, just like in South Africa, and there is no reason to hold fear so present in one's heart on a daily basis -- unless you break a traffic law and a police officer with a big gun comes up to your window and starts telling you how high the fees are for obstructing the law.. yes, that happened to us, but we didn't give in to his insinuating bribery.  we remained calm and prayerful and called a Baha'i lawyer friend (who we just met!) -- by the grace of God her son is a police officer who is a friend of this officer so he pardoned us!

love is the simple answer to the world's problems.  its replenishing fountain is the Word of God which is endowed with the creative spirit to transform our hearts, subdue our egos, and ennoble our lives.  for me it is the pulse of oneness which magically connects me to God in all circumstances, with all people, all of the time.

"When love is realized and the ideal spiritual bonds unite the hearts of men, the whole human race will be uplifted, the world will continually grow more spiritual and radiant and the happiness and tranquility of mankind be immeasurably increased. Warfare and strife will be uprooted, disagreement and dissension pass away and Universal Peace unite the nations and peoples of the world. All mankind will dwell together as one family, blend as the waves of one sea, shine as stars of one firmament and appear as fruits of the same tree. This is the happiness and felicity of humankind. This is the illumination of man, the glory eternal and life everlasting; this is the divine bestowal."

~ Abdu'l-Baha, Baha'i World Faith - Abdu'l-Baha Section, p. 229