Faithfulness
- What is Faithfulness?
- How are we Faithful?
- Why should we practice the virtue of Faithfulness?
- When do we practice the virtue of Faithfulness?
In the next 3 lessons, we will memorize the prayer “O Thou kind Lord! I am a little child…”
“O Thou kind Lord! I am a little child, exalt me by admitting me to the kingdom. I am earthly, make me heavenly; I am of the world below, let me belong to the realm above; gloomy, suffer me to become radiant; material, make me spiritual, and grant that I may manifest Thine infinite bounties.
“Thou art the Powerful, the All-Loving.”
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A faithful soul never forgets all the bounties that God has bestowed on it; it never ceases to love God. It is out of our faithfulness to Him that we always try our very best to follow His teachings and obey His laws, even when it becomes difficult. So it is that we work hard to serve others and to do worthy deeds, with no other thought than to attain His good pleasure. For the faithful soul, there is no greater joy than striving to please God. Let us memorize this quotation of Bahá’u’lláh:
Happy is the faithful one who is attired with the vesture of high endeavor and hath arisen to serve this Cause.
Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh
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Meaning Of Words
Attired
- Mae has a good dress that she only wears on special occasions. She put on her dress for the community gathering. Mae was attired in her special dress.
- For the ceremony, the King put on his velvet robe. He was attired in his finest clothes.
Vesture
- In some places, judges must wear a white wig and a long black robe in a court of law. They must wear the full vesture of judges.
- Before leaving the palace, the prince puts on his sash and crown. He puts on his royal vesture.
Endeavor
- The students decided to plant trees around the school. The community supported their endeavor by providing seedlings and soil.
- Pierre and Arlene decided that they would climb to the top of the mountain. They knew that this would be a difficult endeavor, but they were determined to try.
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Story About Faithfulness
When ‘Abdu’l-Bahá was a young boy, His family, which was part of the nobility of Persia, had a servant by the name of Iṣfandíyár. He was very loyal to the family, and they trusted him a great deal. When the authorities, out of prejudice and ignorance, had ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s beloved Father, Bahá’u’lláh, arrested, all of the family’s possessions were taken away. They were left with nothing, and anyone close to Bahá’u’lláh was in danger. Still, Iṣfandíyár continued to look after the family. Knowing that many officers would be looking for Iṣfandíyár, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá’s mother urged him to leave the city. But Iṣfandíyár would not leave.
“I cannot go,” he said, explaining that he owed money to many shopkeepers for items he had purchased. “How can I go?” he asked. “They will say that the servant of Bahá’u’lláh has bought and consumed the goods and supplies of the storekeepers without paying for them. Unless I pay all these obligations, I cannot go. But if they take me, never mind. If they punish me, there is no harm in that. If they kill me, do not be grieved. But to go away is impossible. I must remain until I pay all I owe.”
For one month Iṣfandíyár went about in the streets and bazaars, selling small things he owed. When he had paid every last debt, he went to the family and said goodbye, for he knew he could stay with them no longer. A minister agreed to take him in and protect and shelter him during this dangerous time.
Many months later, Bahá’u’lláh was released from prison, and He and His family were exiled from Persia by the authorities. They went to Baghdád, a city in the neighboring country. Iṣfandíyár, ever faithful to Bahá’u’lláh, journeyed to Baghdád to ask whether he could once again serve in His household. Bahá’u’lláh said to him, “When you left us, there was a Persian minister who gave you a place to stay when no one else could give you protection. Because he gave you shelter and protected you, you must be faithful to him. If he is satisfied to have you go, then come to us; but if he does not want you to go, do not leave him.”
Of course, Iṣfandíyár was so upright, so trustworthy, and loyal, that the minister did not want him to go. “O Iṣfandíyár!” he exclaimed, “I am not willing that you should go, yet, if you wish to go, let it be according to your own will.” But Iṣfandíyár remembered Bahá’u’lláh’s words. He remained in the minister’s service until, sometime later, the minister passed away and Iṣfandíyár once again returned to the family he so loved, serving ‘Abdu’l-Bahá to the end of his days.
Who Is Knocking at My Door
Blindfold one of the children, who should be seated on a bench with his or her back to the rest of the class. Now point to another child. He or she should go up to the blindfolded child and knock on the bench. The child who is seated says, “Who is knocking at my door?” The other, trying to disguise his or her voice, responds, “It’s me!” The seated child tries to guess who is knocking. The blindfolded child has three guesses, and then another child is given a turn.
Use the quote in any of the crafts below
- Salvaged Living: Make a jar with a mustard seed
- Use a plain T-shirt, or bag and print the quote of the word FAITHFULNESS on it using heat transfer paper
- Kids Activities.com: Use dress-up paper dolls and write parts of the quote
- Twinkl Dress-up dolls: you can get free downloads via email when you sign up free.