| Strength and Beauty |
Chapter 4 |
Page 5 |
No doubt even angels have errands and tasks given to them which in themselves would be hard, but which become easy, a delight, because they are accepted as parts of the will of God for them. This is the great secret of joy in service. Anything that is God’s will for us it should be gladness for us to do. If we love God deeply everything that he wants us to do it is a joy for us to do. If we love not God then even the commonest, simplest duties which his will requires are hard and dreary tasks for us.
While primarily it is the active doing of God’s will to which we are called, we are sometimes led into the way of suffering and sacrifice. It was so in Christ’s own experience. He did always the Father’s will, but at last that will laid on him the burden of the Cross. Jesus said that if we would be his followers we must take up our cross and bear it after him. Sometime in every life the will of God means a cross. We are called to give up earth’s dearest treasures, or to step aside from pursuits into which all our life’s ambitions have gone, or to accept suffering and pan as our lot, instead of joy, health, and activity.
How can we make God’s will sweet in these cases? There is only one answer – we must love God so much that we shall always find joy in any service which he may require of us. The way to take the bitterness out of any hard experience is to acquiesce in it, to cease struggling and resisting, and to bring our will into quiet conformity with God’s. Whenever we fail thus to submit we make a cross for ourselves, and earth’s brightness turns to gray.
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