| The Every Day of Life |
Chapter 13 |
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But it is of this latter class of experiences that the world ought to hear the most. There is no command in the Bible, which says we should empty the tale of all our woes into people’s ears. We really do not have so many woes as some of us imagine we have. Of course everybody has some cares, pains, and losses. We cannot live in this world without such things. But most of us have at least a hundred mercies to one misery. We need cares, as a clock needs its weights, to keep our life machinery in healthy motion. God makes this world a little rough for most of us, to keep us from settling down too contentedly in it as our home.
But he does not want us to complain continually about the roughness’ that are for our good. It is neither loyal nor brave in us to do so, and surely it is not beautiful. None of us think it beautiful in another when he speaks always of his miseries and never of his mercies.
Then we have no right to add to the world’s shadows and burdens and pains by unloading our worries and frets into every ear we find open. It would be a far sweeter service if we would speak only of the pleasant things. And there always is something pleasant even in the most cheerless circumstances, if only we have an eye to find it. There is a legend, which says that once Jesus and his disciples, as they journeyed, saw a dead dog lying by the wayside. The disciples showed disgust and loathing, but the Master said, “What beautiful teeth the creature has!” The legend has its lesson for us. We should see the beauty even in loathsomeness. Miss Murdock tells of a gentleman and lady passing through a lumberyard, by a dirty, foul smelling river. The lady said, “How good the pine boards smell!” “Pine boards!” explained he companion. “Just smell this foul river!” “No, thank you,” the lady replied; “I prefer to smell the pine boards.”She was wiser than he was. It is far better for us to find the sweetness that is in the air than the foulness. It is better to talk to others of the smell of pine boards than of the heavy odors of stagnant rivers.
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