July 21 Learning From Suffering<\/p>\n
“If I am in distress, it is in the interests of your comfort, which is effective as it nerves you to endure the same sufferings as I suffered myself. Hence my hope for you is well-founded, since I know that as you share the sufferings you share the comfort also” (2 Cor. 1:6, 7).<\/p>\n
Are there not some in your circle to whom you naturally betake yourself in times of trial and sorrow? They always seem to speak the right word, to give the very counsel you are longing for; you do not realize, however, the cost which they had to pay ere they became so skillful in binding up the gaping wounds and drying tears. But if you were to investigate their past history you would find that they have suffered more than most. They have watched the slow untwisting of some silver cord on which the lamp of life hung. They have seen the golden bowl of joy dashed to their feet, and its contents spilt. They have stood by ebbing tides, and drooping gourds, and noon sunsets; but all this has been necessary to make them the nurses, the physicians, the priests of men. The boxes that come from foreign climes are clumsy enough; but they contain spices which scent the air with the fragrance of the Orient. So suffering is rough and hard to bear; but it hides beneath it discipline, education, possibilities, which not only leave us nobler, but perfect us to help others. Do not fret, or set your teeth, or wait doggedly for the suffering to pass; but get out of it all you can, both for yourself and for your service to your generation, according to the will of God. –Selected<\/p>\n
Once I heard a song of sweetness,
\nAs it cleft the morning air,
\nSounding in its blest completeness,
\nLike a tender, pleading prayer;
\nAnd I sought to find the singer,
\nWhence the wondrous song was borne;
\nAnd I found a bird, sore wounded,
\nPinioned by a cruel thorn.<\/p>\n
I have seen a soul in sadness,
\nWhile its wings with pain were furl’d,
\nGiving hope, and cheer and gladness
\nThat should bless a weeping world;
\nAnd I knew that life of sweetness,
\nWas of pain and sorrow row borne,
\nAnd a stricken soul was singing,
\nWith its heart against a thorn.<\/p>\n
Ye are told of One who loved you,
\nOf a Saviour crucified,
\nYe are told of nails that pinioned,
\nAnd a spear that pierced His side;
\nYe are told of cruel scourging,
\nOf a Saviour bearing scorn,
\nAnd He died for your salvation,
\nWith His brow against a thorn.<\/p>\n
Ye “are not above the Master.”
\nWill you breathe a sweet refrain?
\nAnd His grace will be sufficient,
\nWhen your heart is pierced with pain.
\nWill you live to bless His loved ones,
\nTho’ your life be bruised and torn,
\nLike the bird that sang so sweetly,
\nWith its heart against a thorn?
\n–Selected<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
July 21 Learning From Suffering<\/p>\n
“If I am in distress, it is in the interests of your comfort, which is effective as it nerves you to endure the same sufferings as I suffered myself. Hence my hope for you is well-founded, since I know that as you share the sufferings you share the comfort also” […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[8],"class_list":["post-43945","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-streams","tag-streams-in-the-desert","odd"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43945","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43945"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43945\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wellsofgrace.com\/devotion\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}