| The Secrets of a Beautiful Life |
Chapter 19 |
Page 5 |
A lapidary brought a large and beautiful onyx to a fine artist or engraver of precious stones. “See how clear, pure, and transparent this stone is,” said the lapidary. “What a fine one for your skill, were it not for this one fatal blemish!” Then he showed him at one point an underlying tinge of iron-rust, which, as he said, made the stone almost worthless.
But the artist took it, and with matchless skill and delicacy wrought upon the stone, carving a graceful figure. By most ingenious and patient use of his engraving tool, he fashioned it so that what had seemed an irreparable blemish was made into a leopard-skin, on which rested the foot of the lovely figure — the contrasting colours enhancing the beauty of the lovely cameo. This illustrates what God would have us do with the hard things in our condition. We think we can never make anything of our life, with all the discouraging things there are in our lot. Really, however we can make our life all the nobler, greater, stronger, more beautiful, by means of the very things which we think ruin our chances. We can make them yield new strength and beauty for our character.
This is the way to treat the hard, discouraging things in life. It is useless to fret over them — fretting will never remove them, and it only weakens our energy and mars our life. But if we meet them with undismayed courage and persistent resolve, we shall conquer them, and in conquering them carve royalty of character and noble worth of ourselves.
Another of our Master’s reasons why we should not worry is that worrying is a sin. The Gentiles, He says, the heathen, do it. But they know no better. They have never learned about God and His fatherhood, and it is no wonder if they are anxious sometimes about the needs of their lives. But we know what God is. We have learned to call Him our Father. If we believe what we say we believe concerning our privileges as God’s children, we ought not to worry. Worry is doubt, unbelief. It dishonors Him whose love is infinite and eternal, and whose promises are so wide and full.
For, really, as Jesus tells us again, we have nothing to do with the care of our own life. We have only one thing to do: “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.” The rest is God’s: “And all these things shall be added unto you.” When we grow anxious about food or raiment or shelter, we are taking the care of our life out of our Father’s hand. We should learn to put the emphasis on our own duty. We never can be too careful at this point. We must leave no duty undone, no task neglected. We must not seek to care of ourselves by unrighteousness, by living dishonestly. Our part is to be true, loyal, and faithful. Then we may leave all the rest in God’s hands.
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