Glow

Above all else, the greatest gift and the most wondrous blessing hath ever been and will continue to be Wisdom. It is man’s unfailing Protector. It aideth him and strengtheneth him. Wisdom is God’s Emissary and the Revealer of His Name the Omniscient. … Thanks to its educating influence earthly beings have become imbued with a gem-like spirit which outshineth the heavens.

Bahá’u’lláh, Tablets of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 66

O banished and faithful friend! Quench the thirst of heedlessness with the sanctified waters of My grace, and chase the gloom of remoteness through the morning-light of My Divine presence. Suffer not the habitation wherein dwelleth My undying love for thee to be destroyed through the tyranny of covetous desires, and overcloud not the beauty of the heavenly Youth with the dust of self and passion. Clothe thyself with the essence of righteousness, and let thine heart be afraid of none except God. Obstruct not the luminous spring of thy soul with the thorns and brambles of vain and inordinate affections, and impede not the flow of the living waters that stream from the fountain of thine heart.

Bahá’u’lláh, Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 323

Blessed are thou, for the lights of guidance have shone forth upon thee and the bounty of the Supreme Kingdom hath illumined thy heart. The effect of the Spirit will surely increase within hearts, so souls will grow in advancing toward the Kingdom, the wonderful bounty shall appear from the invisible kingdom, the hidden exalted world, and your powers and firmness will increase in the Cause of God, the Lofty, the Mighty.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v1, p. 196-197

I pray for each and all that you may be as flames of love in the world, and that the brightness of your light and the warmth of your affection may reach the heart of every sad and sorrowing child of God.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Paris Talks, p. 95-96

I pray God to make thy home a center for the radiation of light and the glowing of His love in the hearts of His people. Know that in every home when God is praised and prayed to, and His Kingdom proclaimed, that home is a garden of God and a paradise of His happiness.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v1, p. 69

If, however, an individual hath spiritual characteristics, and virtues that shine out, and his purpose in life be spiritual and his inclinations be directed toward God, and he also study other branches of knowledge—then we have “light upon light” (Quran 24:35): outer being luminous, his private character radiant, his heart sound, his thought elevated, his understanding swift, his rank noble.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Bahá’í Education, p. 32

O flame of the love of God! The ray must shed light and the sun must rise; the full moon must shine and the star must gleam. Since thou art a ray, beseech thou the Lord to enable thee to give illumination and enlightenment, to brighten the horizons and to consume the world with the fire of the love of God. I hope that thou mayest attain such a station, nay, surpass it. Upon thee be His glory.

A Tablet of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Source

O servant of God! rejoice through the glad-tidings of God, be happy by the wafting of the fragrance of God, and cling to the Kingdom of God in such wise that it makes thee separate thyself from the world and kindle in thy heart the fire of the love of God to such an extent that any one who approaches thee will feel its warmth; and if thou desirest to attain to this station, thou shouldst turn thyself wholly unto God. Perhaps an illumination will descend upon thee by which the fragrances of God will be diffused throughout those regions and districts and thou wilt be a lamp of guidance from which the lights of knowledge will emanate and spread in those far counties and distant lands.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Tablets of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá v1, p. 113

O ye daughters of the Kingdom! … The reflection of your forms (photograph) arrived in this Holy Land. Praise be unto God, these figures are luminous. From your eyes the light of the love of God is emanating. … Praise ye God, that in this age of youth ye have entered the Kingdom of God! Ye have become enlightened. Ye have become celestial, divine and heavenly.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, Japan Will Turn Ablaze, p. 38–39

Praise and thanksgiving be unto Providence that out of all the realities in existence He has chosen the reality of man and has honored it with intellect and wisdom, the two most luminous lights in either world . . . Sanctified is the Lord, Who with the dazzling rays of this strange, heavenly power has made our world of darkness the envy of the worlds of light.

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, The Secret of Divine Civilization, p. 1.

Let your light shine before the eyes of men. Such must be the purity of your character and the degree of your renunciation, that the people of the earth may through you recognize and be drawn closer to the heavenly Father who is the Source of purity and grace.

Shoghi Effendi, The Dawn-Breakers, p. 92