He Maketh Victorious Whomsoever He Pleaseth

I've been immersing myself in the CD "Temple of Light." There's a verse I'm entranced with today-- please don't ask me the artist, the CD is still in the car--which seems so much more powerful put to music. The tune is simple and penetrating.

He maketh victorious whomsoever He pleaseth, through the potency of His behest.

~The Bab

Do you know where that is from? I had to look this up online on the Baha'i Reference Library. For Baha'is, how many times have you read this verse? It's in the context of the very powerful Prayer For Protection by the Bab. Listening to the CD, I didn't recognize it. That one sentence struck a chord with the artist and they put it to music.

Today I'm just glad: glad to know Baha'u'llah, glad to have my new job, and glad to prove myself wrong.

Arlene Reeducates that Three-Year-Old Once Again:

Everything I've learned in the last two months completely contraindicates what I learned in about 1960, when I was about three. I thought that stuff was buried, but it still comes up. First of all, I thought I would never amount to anything. I'm something, at least.

Also, my theme song in 1960 was "guess I'll go eat worms." My favorite music was Grieg's mournful "Morning Song" from Pier Gynt. It seems funny now, but I really believed that while it's nice to have people around who are going to take care of you [after all, I was three] otherwise, you can't trust them, and you certainly can't tell them what's on your mind. Life seemed safer and less painful to me if I just left the people out. But I still spent a lot of energy striving to feel included. Logic, schmogic.

There was a time when I would have read that verse and thought God would probably make anyone else victorious, but not bother with me. [Ooh, the self-pity. Milk it, milk it!] Now, I think, "Why not?"

Now I'm absolutely bowled over by how much love and support I'm receiving from my friends and family. I realize how simple this sounds. I just never let it into my heart before.