test, succeed. test, succeed. test test test, succeed.

you have taught me many lessons,
yet my learning will never cease,
I used to question your motives,
now I welcome you with embrace.

you have spun many truths,
my beliefs continue to be tested,
I know to question your intent,
I will never just accept.

you have tried many tricks,
I'm yet to tire of your wicked ways,
your tests meld with intrigue,
providing me with strength
to overcome the trials borne
in every waking hour,

although I long for a reprieve,
I know you're here to stay,
so tempt me with your next test,
my resilience will keep you at bay.

"Blessed are the steadfastly enduring, they that are patient under ills and hardships, who lament not over anything that befalleth them, and who tread the path of resignation....

(Gleanings from the Writings of Bahá'u'lláh, LXVI, p. 129)

Something I have been thinking about a lot recently is the way that our lives and our day-to-day life has become a slave to forces that creep up on us so guilefully that the 'frenetic devotion to pleasure and diversion' has become part and parcel to existence as a whole. I'm a slave, you're a slave, we've all become slaves...

 One of the signs of a decadent society, a sign which is very evident in the world today, is an almost frenetic devotion to pleasure and diversion, an insatiable thirst for amusement, a fanatical devotion to games and sport, a reluctance to treat any matter seriously, and a scornful, derisory attitude towards virtue and solid worth. Abandonment of "a frivolous conduct" does not imply that a Bahá'í must be sour-faced or perpetually solemn. Humour, happiness, joy are characteristics of a true Bahá'í life. Frivolity palls and eventually leads to boredom and emptiness, but true happiness and joy and humour that are parts of a balanced life that includes serious thought, compassion and humble servitude to God are characteristics that enrich life and add to its radiance."

 -  Universal House of Justice, From a letter dated 8 May 1979 written on behalf of the Universal House of Justice to an individual believer