Basic HTML Version
Clouds Will Pass, September 24
A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of
heart the spirit is broken.
Proverbs 15:13
.
Sorrow comes and goes; it is the lot of man; we should not seek to
magnify it, but rather dwell upon that which is bright and pleasant. When
winter spreads its icy covering over the earth, we do not let our gladness
freeze up with the flowers and brooks and continually mourn because
of the dismal days and the chilling winds. On the other hand, we reach
forward in imagination to the coming summer, with its warmth and life
and beauty. Meanwhile we enjoy all the sunshine that comes to us, and
find much comfort, in spite of the cold and snow, while we are waiting
for nature to put on her fresh, bright garments of rejoicing.
Just now a cloud has shut from our sight the bright rays of the sun, and
we are left in the shadow. Should we fret and repine because of this, and
forget everything else that is bright and lovely around us? No; we should
forget the
cloud
and remember that the sun is not blotted out, but has
only veiled its face for a moment, to shine forth again in greater apparent
brightness and to be prized and enjoyed more highly than if it had never
been hidden.
God is not pleased to have us pass our lives in despondency and gloom,
magnifying every trouble that visits us. By so doing we not only make
ourselves miserable but cloud the happiness of those around us. We should
not search out and linger over the dark shadows in our life experience,
but rather open our eyes and arouse our senses to see and appreciate the
many blessings surrounding us, which should make us not only grateful
but very happy.
It is God’s will that we should be cheerful. He would have us open our
hearts to the sunbeams of heaven; He would have our spirits mellowed by
His love and goodness, apparent in our own lives and in the things of nature
surrounding us. Those who are brought in contact with us are affected for
good or evil by our words and actions. We are unconsciously diffusing
the fragrance of our character upon the moral atmosphere surrounding us
or we are poisoning that atmosphere by thoughts, words, and deeds which
have a deleterious influence.
[275]
283