The Contented Peacock
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When in Bahá'í history
'Akká (today: Acre, Israel)
Two pilgrims were at the Master’s luncheon table one day in 1908. He asked them if they were glad to be in ‘Akká and if they were happy. They replied that they were very happy to be there with Him, but unhappy when they thought of their own faults. “Think not of yourselves,” He said, “but think of the Bounty of God. This will always make you happy.” Then with a smile He referred to an Arabic saying about the peacock, who “is contented because he never looks at his feet—which are very ugly—but always at his plumage which is very beautiful.”
Source: Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá (Annamarie Honnold), no. 8, “The peacock—think of God’s bounty, not yourselves”, p. 12.
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: happiness).
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