Real Progress

". . . I do not understand how a Christian can make such slow progress as I do and how old faults can hang on so.

If I had made any real progress, should I not be sensible of it?

I have been reading over the early part of this journal, and when I came to the conversation I had with Mrs. Cabot, in which I made a list of wants, I was astonished that I could ever have had such contemptible ones. Let me think what I really and truly most want now.

First of all, then, if God should speak to me at this moment and offer to give just one thing and that alone, I should say without hesitation, Love to Thee, O my Master!

Next to that, if I could have one thing more, I would choose to be a thoroughly unselfish, devoted wife. Down in my secret heart I know there lurks another wish, which I am ashamed of. It is that in some way or other, some right way, I could be delivered from Martha and her father. I shall never be any better while they are here to tempt me!" ~ From Stepping Heavenward, (entry on her first wedding anniversary, dated January 16, 1838.)

[We see, though, that actually she had made real progress, based on what she wanted at this point in time. Of course, she was wrong about the last one. I do believe dealing with Martha and Father had a good deal to do with her growth in Christ. ` mr]

Note: This is a repeat of a post made May, 2011.

Praise Him, Praise Him, Jesus Our Blessed Redeemer.

Hiding in Him

I have seen the time when I could hide myself in Him as a little child hides in its mother's arms, and so have thousands of aching hearts.~ EP

[And oh how true. ~ mr]

A Wish

Oh that with ready grace my heart could give

What God requires;

That there within it lived no grasping will

No fond desires.

It grieves, it pains me that I do not fly

O Christ, to Thee,

To lay this treasure at Thy feet, with sweet

Alacrity.

Yet take it from me; if I love it much

I love Thee more,--

But pity, as Thou takest, for it leaves

my heart so sore!

~ From Golden Hours: Heart-Hymns of the Christian Life.

So Be It

So be it; 'tis Thy plan not mine,

And being Thine is good;

And God, my will shall yield to Thine

Ere it is understood.

So be it; I a child of dust

Will not oppose Thy way,

Move on, mysterious Will, I trust,

I love, and will obey.

So be it; and do Thou, my heart,

No childish questions ask,

Thou in God's counsels hast no part,

Crave not so hard a task.

 

So be it; yes, so be it, Lord,

No word have I to say--

O be Thy gracious Name adored--

I love and will obey.

~ From  Golden Hours, Heart-Hymns of the Christian Life

Mrs. Love, Mr. Pain,and Miss Joy

But it was only a few days after this that she [Little Lucy] went to the fireplace and filled her clean white apron with coals and ashes. Her mamma took them away from her, and shook her head, and said: "No, no!" again and again. But as soon as Susy had another clean apron put on, she ran again to the fire and began to fill it with coals, and no matter how often her mamma said No, no! she would keep doing it over and over. Then Mrs. Love said to her mamma: "If we let Susy do so, some day she will get burned. We ought to punish her, so that she will mind when she is spoken to."

"Yes, I think so, too," said her mamma.

So Mrs. Love called Mr. Pain and told him to slap Susy's little arm if she disobeyed again. It was not long before he had to come; and as soon as she saw him, Miss Joy, who had been frolicking with Susy a whole year, and never before had been absent from her--poor Miss Joy ran away and hid. As soon as Susy felt the slaps on her arm she let the coals drop and began to cry. She looked at her arm, which bore the red marks of Mr. Pain's hand, and pitied it very much. But the slap did her good. It taught her to obey her mamma about the fire, and saved her from being burned up, as she certainly would have been if she had kept on playing with the coals.

Mr Pain soon went away, and he had hardly turned his back when Miss Joy peeped out of the closet where she had been hiding, and made such a funny Face that Susy could not help laughing, and her face was both wet with tears and shining with smiles. She kissed her mamma and put her arms around her neck, and her mamma kissed her and said: "Susy won't be naughty any more." And Susy smiled and said: "No, No.!"~ From Little Susy's Six Teachers, 1856

[A lesson for the modern day philosophies on child rearing. ~ mr]

Blessedness of Life