| Strength and Beauty |
Chapter 6 |
Page 6 |
There is a legend of a good man whom the angels wished to have honored because of the heavenliness of his life. They asked God to give him some new power, and were sent to learn from the man himself what he would choose. He said he wished nothing more than he had; but when importuned to name some new gift which should be bestowed upon him he answered that he would like to have greater power of doing good without knowing it. So it was ordained that his shadow, when it fell behind him, should have healing influence; but when it fell before his face should produce no such effect. It is better that we should not even be aware of the good we are doing. What we do is then unmixed with self, the only name that is honored being Christ’s.
We mistake when we fancy that we are in this world to make a name for ourselves. We need not give ourselves the slightest concern upon this subject. Indeed, any thought of name or fame for ourselves always detracts from the purity of our motive and spirit as Disciples of Christ. We have only one errand here – to do God’s will, to fulfill the divine thought or purpose of our life, and to glorify Christ. We have nothing whatever to do with the honoring of ourselves before men, with looking after our own reputation. If we honor Christ he will honor us. If we exalt his name in our life he will exalt our name before the angles and his Father.
“Of the thousand hours me meeting,
And with gladsome promise greeting,
One alone hath kept its faith,
One wherein–ah, sorely grieved!–
In my heart I first perceived
Who for us did die the death.
“All to dust my world was beaten;
As a worm had through them eaten
Withered in me bud and flower;
All my life had sought or cherished
In the grave had sunk and perished;
Pain sat in my ruined bower.
“While I thus, in silence sighing,
Ever wept, on death still crying,
Still to sad delusions tied,
All at once the night was cloven,
From my grave the stone was hoven,
And my inner doors thrown wide.
“Whom I saw, and who the other,
Ask me not, or friend or brother!–
Sight seen once, and evermore!
Lone in all life’s eves and morrows,
This hour only, like my sorrow,
Ever shines my eyes before.”
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