| The Secrets of a Beautiful Life |
Chapter 11 |
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One way is by storing our minds with the promises of God. We may get a lesson right here from our geology. Ages ago vegetation grew rank and luxuriant. Wisely our earth piled away all the vast debris of the falling and decaying forests, and covered it up. It seemed a foolish sort of carefulness and economy. Of what use would all this mass of dead trees and vegetation ever be? But it is now earth’s coalbeds, and it is lighting our homes in the dark night. In the days of human gladness, when there is no trouble, no pain, there are many of God’s words which seem to have no meaning for us. We do not need them. They are for times of sorrow, and we have no sorrow. They are lamps for the darkness, and we are not walking in darkness. They are for days of pain and loss, and we have no pain, and are called to endure no loss. But if we are wise, if we would be ready for whatever the future may bring to us, we will not leave these unheeded words unappropriated. We will take them into our heart and fix them there, as one would fix lamps in a house during the daytime, to be ready to shine when night comes. Then when the sorrow comes, as it surely will come, we shall not be overtaken by the darkness. These promises for which we had no use in the days of human joy, but which we took into our heart against the time of need, will now shine down upon us and fill our gloom with sweet light from heaven. That is one way of walking while we have the light, so that the darkness will not overtake us and overwhelm us. Hang the lamps all about your heart’s chambers during the day.
Another way is by keeping the vision clear all the time between our souls and heaven. It is not easy in the time of unbroken worldly prosperity to maintain unbroken communion with God. Prosperity fosters many things that serve to cut of our spiritual outlook. A man built a house on a spot which commanded a beautiful view of distant mountains and a great stretch of sky. Then he said, “I must have trees to shelter the house. Trees make any place more lovely.” So he planted a number of fine trees, and they grew up, and were much admired. But the trees were close together, and, as they grew, their branches interlaced; and by and by they shut out the distant view, so that the mountains were no longer visible from the house, and scarcely a glimpse could be had of the sky.
So it is often with men’s lives. In their prosperity men gather about them many earthly interests and pleasures. These are very sweet; but sometimes they shut out the view of heaven’s glorious mountains, and of the blessed spiritual things which are the realities of Christian faith. Many a life thus loses its familiarity with Christ, and the invisible things of God become less and less clear to the vision. Earthly interests absorb the thought and the affections. Then when sorrow comes and it grows dark, the heart cannot find its refuge, and goes uncomforted. The familiar joys have lost their power to bless, and the soul has no experience of the higher joys.
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