One day when walking down the street,
On business bent, while thinking hard
About the "hundred cares" which seemed
Like thunder clouds about to break
In torrents, Self-pity said to me:
"You poor, poor thing, you have too much
To do. Your life is far too hard.
This heavy load will crush you soon."
A swift response of sympathy
Welled up within. The burning sun
Seemed more intense. The dust and noise
Of puffing motors flying past
With rasping blast of blowing horn
Incensed still more the whining nerves,
The fabled last back-breaking straw
To weary, troubled, fretted mind.
On business bent, while thinking hard
About the "hundred cares" which seemed
Like thunder clouds about to break
In torrents, Self-pity said to me:
"You poor, poor thing, you have too much
To do. Your life is far too hard.
This heavy load will crush you soon."
A swift response of sympathy
Welled up within. The burning sun
Seemed more intense. The dust and noise
Of puffing motors flying past
With rasping blast of blowing horn
Incensed still more the whining nerves,
The fabled last back-breaking straw
To weary, troubled, fretted mind.
"Ah, yes, 'twill break and crush my life;
I cannot, bear this constant strain
Of endless, aggravating cares;
They are too great for such as I."
So thus my heart, consoled itself,
"Enjoying misery," when lo!!
A "still small voice" distinctly said,
"Twas sent to lift you—not to crush."
I saw at once my great mistake,
My place was not beneath the load,
But on the top! God meant it not
That I should carry it. He sent
It here to carry me. Full well
He knew my capacity
Before the plan was made. He saw
A child of His in need of grace
And power to serve, a puny twig
Requiring sun and rain to grow,
An undeveloped chrysalis,
A weak soul lacking faith in God.
He could not help but see all this
And more. And then, with tender thought
He placed it where it had to grow—
Or die. To lie and cringe beneath
One's load means death, but life and power
Await all those who dare to rise above.
Our burdens are our wings; on them
We soar to higher realms of grace;
On planes of undeveloped faith,
(For faith grows but by exercise
In circumstances impossible).
I cannot, bear this constant strain
Of endless, aggravating cares;
They are too great for such as I."
So thus my heart, consoled itself,
"Enjoying misery," when lo!!
A "still small voice" distinctly said,
"Twas sent to lift you—not to crush."
I saw at once my great mistake,
My place was not beneath the load,
But on the top! God meant it not
That I should carry it. He sent
It here to carry me. Full well
He knew my capacity
Before the plan was made. He saw
A child of His in need of grace
And power to serve, a puny twig
Requiring sun and rain to grow,
An undeveloped chrysalis,
A weak soul lacking faith in God.
He could not help but see all this
And more. And then, with tender thought
He placed it where it had to grow—
Or die. To lie and cringe beneath
One's load means death, but life and power
Await all those who dare to rise above.
Our burdens are our wings; on them
We soar to higher realms of grace;
On planes of undeveloped faith,
(For faith grows but by exercise
In circumstances impossible).
Oh, paradox of Heaven, the load
We think will crush was sent to lift us
Up to God! Then, soul of mine,
Climb up! for naught can e'er be crushed
Save what is underneath the weight.
How may we climb! By what ascent
Shall we surmount the carping cares
Of life! Within His Word is found
The key which opes His secret stairs;
Alone with Christ, secluded there,
We mount our loads, and rest in Him.
* * *
We think will crush was sent to lift us
Up to God! Then, soul of mine,
Climb up! for naught can e'er be crushed
Save what is underneath the weight.
How may we climb! By what ascent
Shall we surmount the carping cares
Of life! Within His Word is found
The key which opes His secret stairs;
Alone with Christ, secluded there,
We mount our loads, and rest in Him.
* * *
In order to reach a mountain top you must first go through the struggles of climbing steep slopes, and over large boulders, and through briers, and thorns. its not an easy trek but its worth it in the end. To see the landscape, and breath the fresh air, and observe Gods magnificent creation. But first you must go through the trials.
If there were no trials and temptations in life, then we would not grow as Christians. Each time we fall , or go through any trial we grow in our dependence on God. And faith is dependence on God. Therefore God uses our failures to bring us closer to him. That's not to say its the only way he brings us closer to him, but that he does use them. So, its not the failures that bring us down, but the failures and trails lift us up. The difference between living a successful life and living a defeated life, is how you react to your failures. Do you fail and say, "I'll never make it. All I ever do is fail. I know I'll fail, so why even try.", or do you say' "Thank you for bringing me this trail. What can I learn from this, so I can better be prepared next time. What can I learn from this so I can help those around me.". Every trial is an opportunity to grow and learn. A friend of mine once said, "There is no such thing as a bad day, some days just have more opportunities to learn from.
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