Things happen for the best

P once told me about H's grandfather (or uncle?) who, whenever he was asked how he was doing, would reply, "I'm the best I could possibly be, for if I could have been better, then God would have made it so." I've often pondered over how one can say this, and whether there are specific prerequisites for the best to happen to us. Clearly we often find ourselves in circumstances not of our making, in situations where we need to make a certain decision. How can we be sure that our actions in such circumstances lead to the best possible result for us? How can we be sure that even if the immediate consequences of our decisions and actions are not to our liking, in the long run, they are the best thing for us spiritually?

After much thought and observation of people like P, M and V, I've come to the conclusion that there are two prerequisites for being sure, in any situation, that whatever happens is for our best.

1. We make the utmost effort we can in that situation, sincerely try and figure out what the right decision is, and leave no stone unturned.
2. Once we make all the effort that we need to, we turn to God, supplicate unto Him, and ask for His guidance through prayer. We sincerely submit the consequences of our decision to Him, and detach ourselves from the results of our actions completely. We pray not for a particular result/consequence, but pray that whatever is best for us happen (this is key).

Both, I believe, are necessary. Not studying before an exam, but just sitting and praying to God to help us pass will get us nowhere. Likewise, with complex decisions, we can never know all sides of the issue - and so just trying to come up with our own solution may not lead to the best answer. However, trying hard and then praying to God for inspiration will ensure that we are guided along the right path.

Like most spiritual things, this too, I think lies on a continuum - to the extent that we make an effort, and to the extent that we are able to submit to the will of God, we can be sure that that which has happened is for the best. And over time, with more and more such experiences, as our faith is reinforced, and our detachment becomes more steadfast, we align ourselves more and more with that which God has destined for us.

Which brings me to another very interesting point - the notion of destiny. Usually fate and destiny are interpreted as concepts that rob us of our free will. Therefore if there is something like destiny, I am at its mercy, and so my decisions don't really matter, for the consequences are already predestined.

The Baha'i teachings, however, give a very different meaning to destiny. Baha'u'llah, in the Gleanings, says, "How lofty is the station which man, if he but choose to fulfill his high destiny, can attain!"

Interesting choice of words, no? Man can choose to fulfill his destiny. Now what does that mean? In the context of the rest of the Baha'i teachings, I believe this is what it means - God has created everything with a destiny in mind for it. That destiny is fundamentally for it to grow until it becomes the fullest possible expression of its latent capacities. The destiny of a tree, therefore, is to grow and bear fruit. The destiny of an animal is to grow, bear offspring, and utilize its senses to their fullest capacities. The destiny of man is not just to fulfill the needs of his material existence, but to transcend that and to recognize his essential spiritual nature, and to know God. Every man, however, can choose not to do this. By exercising our free will, we can choose to act in a way that will turn us away from this destiny that God has prepared for us.

How can we align ourselves with our destiny? Ironically (or maybe, fittingly), by ultimately letting go of the control we seek to have over every aspect of our lives, and allowing God to take charge of the reins. We do the best we can in this world, but ultimately leave the consequences to God, and don't get hung up on the results of our actions. We allow God to guide us when it comes to making decisions, and then accept whatever comes out of it, and use it as a way to grow, learn and progress. Therefore we use our free will to choose to submit to the will of God - and by deciding that in our minds, we allow God to direct us.

Understanding this, and reaching that state, is enabled by religion and the teachings of the various manifestations of God. Shoghi Effendi states that "it is the relationship of the individual soul to God and the fulfillment of its spiritual destiny that is the ultimate aim of the laws of religion." So the laws and the teachings of the manifestations of God are maps that help us navigate through the worlds of God. We, of course, must choose whether to accept this guidance or to set our course without regard to His counsels. In other words, we apply our free will primarily in choosing whether to embrace our high destiny or to deny it.