| The Every Day of Life |
Chapter 16 |
Page 4 |
Then the lesson has another side. It is not enough that we do not hurt the lives of others; we must do the part of Christ in healing the hurts, which have already been given. Everywhere they move, – children with pinched faces and sad eyes; young people wounded in their souls by sin, victims of evil habits; lives crippled and maimed; the poor, hurt by man’s oppression and greed.
A workman with a gentle heart told recently, with pathetic detail, how he had once saved the life of his canary-bird. The bird had escaped from it cage into the room, and had flown against the surface of some boiling water. There seemed little hope of saving the poor-suffering creature. But this kindly man quickly applied soothing remedies, and, with womanly gentleness, nursed the bird for many weeks, until at last he saw it fully restored, and heard again its sweet songs.
That is like Christ, who did not break a bruised reed. That is what we should do in Christ’s name with the hurt lives about us, whether hurt by the wrong of others or by their own sin. We should pray for gentleness, – nothing but gentleness can perform such holy ministry. Then we should seek to be restorers of lives that are wounded or bruised. That is Christ-likeness.
“He hears one’s life-blood dripping
Through the madness, merriest hour;
He knows what sackcloth and ashes hide in the purple power.
The broken wing of the swallow
He binds in the middle air.”
Page 4
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