Baha'i Community of Mundaring

Did you make any New Year’s resolutions for 2023? We’re now a month in so how are you going? One of the topics we’ve been discussing in our study circles is how we can live a coherent life, that is, how can we find balance and consistency in all aspects of our lives, particularly so that our spiritual beliefs and ideals inform how we behave in day-to-day life.

As with New Year’s resolutions where we can set ourselves high targets to run a marathon, lose numerous unwanted kilos forgoing all pizza for eternity, and getting our doomscrolling on social media under control, our spiritual goals are also lofty and can seem unachievable. We aim to have the patience of Buddha, the forgiveness of Jesus and the humility of Muhammad, but in the same way that we suddenly notice we’ve eaten half a pizza whilst absent-mindedly lost in Pinterest on 3 January. It doesn’t take long for our spiritual efforts to come unstuck. Just one encounter on Great Eastern Highway can undo all the serenity of our morning meditation and have us berating ourselves for our evident lack of compassion and goodwill to our fellow humans.

‘Abdu’l-Baha, the son of the Founder of the Baha’i Faith, was once approached by a believer who despaired about the impossibility of achieving all of the qualities and virtues that Baha’is are supposed to possess. ‘Abdu’l Baha, in His compassion and patience, answered, “Little by little, day by day.”

This is the key to our personal transformation and that of society too. It’s not the grand gestures and bold promises of the initial resolution. Or the picture-perfect workout routine or family snapshot on social media. It’s the messy, sweaty, seemingly insignificant small steps that we make everyday towards our bigger goals. Reflecting at the end of each day, picking ourselves up, applying what we’ve learnt and trying again, and again, and again. And when we reach 31 December we can look back with hindsight and marvel at how far we’ve come. Until then we can try to sharpen our insight and spiritual perception to ‘see the end in the beginning’.

With this steadfast constancy we also need balance. How easy it is to be caught up in a new passion, which can quickly consume every aspect of our lives. Baha’u’llah tells us “Whatsoever passeth beyond the limits of moderation will cease to exert a beneficial influence.” With this in mind we can work towards our goals without fluctuating between bouts of frenetic activity followed by burnt out inertia.

To help us find balance in the chaos of our everyday lives we can remember ‘Abdu’l Baha’s assurance that “As ye have faith so shall your powers and blessings be. This is the balance—this is the balance—this is the balance. “

If you’d like to explore the Baha’i vision of living a coherent life further, we hold regular study circles at homes in Darlington, Glen Forrest, Mahogany Creek and Mundaring. These are welcoming spaces to study and have spiritual conversations with friends from diverse backgrounds. All are welcome. More details on our Facebook page and website.

Mundaring Baha’i Community mundaring@wa.bahai.org.au www.bahai.org.au time “Why would anyone choose to live in any other way than this?” Little did I know that in the years to follow I would depart from that experience and find myself choosing to live in every other way than that!

It was an undeniable testimony of what the Spirit of God had done that day for me But in my immaturity of understanding the gospel, and my lack of having anyone to disciple me to a better understanding, I went on to live a life lacking the things that God really wanted me to experience In Hebrews the writer exhorts his Christian brothers and sisters to step into a way of living that would equip them to live in the experiences that accompany salvation

The way I was living contained no frui of God’s Spirit or the power of God in my life. I had a ticket to eternity, while being lord over my own life I was in bondage to sinful living that I couldn’ change. I didn’t know that God had freedom available for me that I hadn't