“O life, so full of storm and stress,
O bitter wind, Euroclydon,
That strews the shore with shipwrecked hopes,
What shall our sad hearts rest upon?
Come, blessed angel of the Lord,
Stand thou beside us, calm and strong;
Hide thou our lives with Christ in God,
And change our sorrows to a song.”
Some people are vexed and disheartened by obstacles and difficulties. They look upon them as hindrances in the way of their progress. To them the ideal life would be one without opposition or antagonism, with only favoring circumstances, with nothing to impede its movement, with no burdensome tasks, no struggles, no hardships, no disappointments.
But even if such a life were possible he would be most unfortunate who should experience it. None of us know or dream how much we owe to the resistances we meet. If learning were easy our mental powers would never be developed. If work were not necessary our bodies would never grow into vigor and strength. If we were put into this world to do nothing, with no responsibility, with no share of the world’s burdens to carry, just to be cared for as the birds are, we should never be anything but children in character and experience. If it were not necessary for us to choose between right and wrong, and good and evil, we should have only the untried inexperience of innocence, with no moral vigor, no tested and disciplined strength. In all life, growth is attained through exertion, effort, and struggle. The easy career makes nothing of itself. Antagonism, at which many chafe, really provides golden opportunities for development.
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