Service to God, to Bahá’u’lláh, to family, to friends and enemies, indeed to…
bahaistories.com archive · Read original
Studio narration for this story is coming — it’ll be generated by the cloud-TTS pipeline (voice: auto-selected from the source author).
When in Bahá'í history
Service to God, to Bahá’u’lláh, to family, to friends and enemies, indeed to all mankind this was the pattern of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s life. He wished only to be the Servant of God and man. To serve rather than being demeaning and unfulfilling was honour, joy and fulfilment. This motivated His entire day from Dawn to after midnight. He used to say, ‘Nothing is too much trouble when one loves, and there is always time.’
Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 104
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: service).
Discuss this story
For adults
- What stands out about Bahá'u'lláh's response in this account?
- What might Bahá'u'lláh's example ask of us in our own circumstances?
- Where do you see joy appearing — visibly or quietly — in this passage?
For teens
- How could the spirit of joy show up in your week?
- What does this story say about how to face hard moments?
Reflection
- Take one line from this story and let it stay with you today.
- What in this account feels timely? What feels timeless?
- How does joy show up in your life right now — and where is it being asked of you?
Comprehension quiz
Which source is "Service to God, to Bahá’u’lláh, to family, to friends and enemies, indeed to…" drawn from?
What period of Bahá'í history does this story belong to?
Which historical figure is featured most prominently in this story?
Which virtue does this story most clearly illustrate?
Cite this story
Various. *bahaistories.com archive*. https://bahaistories.com/subject/service
Record yourself reading this story
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