The Ninth Century Sufi, Bayazid Bastami, says this about himself: “I was a revolutionary when I was young and all my prayer to God was, ‘Lord give me the energy to change the world.
“As I approached middle age and realized that half my life was gone without my changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to, ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come in contact with me. Just my family and friends, and I shall be content.’
“Now that I am an old man and my days are numbered, my prayer now is, ‘Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’ If I had prayed for this right from the start I should have not wasted my life.”
Thursday, September 27, 2007
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