Bring thyself to account, every morning?

“Bring thyself to account each day”
Baha’u’llah, The Hidden Words

“Let each morn be better than its eve and each morrow richer than its yesterday”
Baha’u’llah, Tablet of Wisdom

We are exhorted to a systematic endeavor to improve ourselves, to grow spiritually, through a process of daily action and reflection. In fact, “to stop advancing is the means of going back”, so if we don’t make a conscious effort for each day to be better than the day before, it will actually be worse! The question is, how do we measure if today was better than yesterday?

I found a quote from Abdu’l-Baha that addresses just this issue, with a plan for bringing oneself to account each day. There were some questions that someone had supplied along with the quote, but I don’t know who came up with them. The questions help one reflect on the quote, and I added one question from another quote I have found.

See below for the full text, or click here to download it as a PDF file.

I will print this out and experiment with it personally for a few weeks, before the fast, but we’ll need to figure out how we can share this in a group setting.

“Therefore I say that man must travel in the way of God. Day by day he must endeavor to become better, his belief must increase and become firmer, his good qualities and his turning to God must be greater, the fire of his love must flame more brightly; then day by day he will make progress, for to stop advancing is the means of going back. The bird when he flies soars ever higher and higher, for as soon as he stops flying he will come down. Every day, in the morning when arising you should compare today with yesterday and see in what condition you are. If you see your belief is stronger and your heart more occupied with God and your love increased and your freedom from the world greater then thank God and ask for the increase of these qualities. You must begin to pray and repent for all that you have done that is wrong and you must implore and ask for help and assistance that you may become better than yesterday so that you may continue to make progress.”

‘Abdu’l-Bahá, in Star of the West 8, no. 6 (24 June 1917): p. 68.
795. Compilations, the Compilation of Compilations vol. I, p. 376

1. Every day, in the morning when arising you should compare today with yesterday and see in what condition you are.
2. See if:
   1. Your belief is stronger
   2. Your heart more occupied with God
   3. Your love increased
   4. Your freedom from the world greater
3. Remember if you have:
   1. Refrained from every irregular inclination
   2. Subdued every rebellious passion
   3. Purified the motives of your conduct
   4. Conformed to that meekness which no provocation can ruffle
   5. Conformed to that patience which no affliction can overwhelm
   6. Conformed to that integrity which no self-interest can shake
4. Then thank God.
   List those things for which you are grateful.
5. Ask for an increase in:
   Hold a vision of what that experience would be and describe as you see it for now.
   1. Strong belief
   2. Heart more occupied with God
   3. Increased love
   4. Greater freedom from the world
6. Pray and repent for all that you have done wrong.
   Think about those things from yesterday about which you have regret. Ask for God’s forgiveness. Think about how you might have done it differently and if there are amends that you need to make to set things right. Consider what you will need to do to forgive yourself.
7. Implore and ask for help and assistance that you may become better than yesterday, so that you may continue to make progress.
   Consider what things you will work on today and ask for assistance in your choices of goals as well as progress with them.