A pair of shoes

V told this most amazing story of this realization that had come to her many years ago. She was in Monaco then, I think, all set to go on a trip to the then Czechoslovakia as part of a teaching program for the Baha'i Faith. She was thoroughly excited about the trip, and about the idea of being able to do service for people. Right before she was due to leave, though, she had severe colitis - a condition that had always affected her, but this time it hit her full force, and she ended up having to be hospitalized, and was in the ICU for several days. Laying there in the hospital, surrounded by all those nasty tubes and devices, she prayed, and asked of Baha'u'llah - "Oh, I had wanted to go on this trip just to be of service. Why then have you stopped me from going there, O God? All I wanted to do was to serve - and yet here I am, stuck in this hospital!"

She was quite besides herself for a while, but then suddenly for an instant, there came to her mind the image of a picture she had her in home, of the shrine of Baha'u'llah, with a pair of shoes outside the door. And in that instant, she had a sudden realization - we all always want to do things the way we like, even when it comes to service we want to choose how to serve, we always want to be the legs that go everywhere. But what we really need to be content with is being the shoes - not the legs. We have to be content with being led along the path and cannot always control everything that happens. I cannot say, "Oh, I will serve, but only between 2pm and 4pm in this role at this place, in this manner" - I have to accept the circumstances I find myself in, and in that situation find the best way to serve God and humanity.

I found that image of a pair of shoes to be very powerful and thought-provoking. And as always, as with everything V ever says/does with all her love and purity, it did not fail to inspire.