As to the terminology I used in my letter, bidding thee to
consecrate thyself to service in the Cause of God, the meaning of it is this:
limit thy thoughts to teaching the Faith. Act by day and night according to the
teachings and counsels and admonitions of Bahá'u'lláh. This doth not preclude
marriage. Thou canst take unto thyself a husband and at the same time serve the
Cause of God; the one doth not preclude the other. Know thou the value of these
days; let not this chance escape thee. Beg thou God to make thee a lighted
candle, so that thou mayest guide a great multitude through this darksome
world.
- ‘Abdu’l-Baha (‘Selections from the Writings of `Abdu'l-Baha’; The
Compilation of Compilations, Vol. I, Family Life)
