West Virginia freeman. (Parkersburg, W. Va.) 1881-1886, 1883-03-07
Helps In Worried Weekday Life.
By REV. j. R. MILLER.

write to help you. if l can, in
your personal life. You are cast in
the midst of experiences that con-
tlnaally worry and vex you. Those
about you, either Willingly or un-
willingly, annoy and try YOU
greatly. Especially since you be-
came Christian, and made a con-
fesslon OF your love for Christ.
have they made it hard for you.
Perhaps | can help you.
The question is this: How can
yea get through the tangled briers
and thorns which grow along YOUR
path, without having your poor
hands and feet torn? How can
you live sweetly amid the vexa-
tlous things, the multitude of lit
tie worries and frets, which lie all
aeong your way, and which you
cannot evade?
You do not want merely to get
Through in any sort of way; YOU
want to live beautiful Christian
life. A little child, when once
asked what it was for her to be a
Christian, replied, ut is to live as
Jesus would live, and to behave as
he would behave, if he were lit
tie girl and lived at our house. "
That is it precisely. And you
want to bear yourself just as Jesus
would do if he were standing all
day where you stand, mingling
with tiae same people with whom
you have to mingle, and exposed
to the same annoyances, trials, and
irritations to which you are ex-
posed. You want to live life
that wild please God, and that will
bear witness on its face to the gen.
ui0eness Of your piety. How can
you do this? Let me suggest few
things for your prayerful, thought
ful bordering
First, your life is to be lived in
just the circumstance in which you
now fnd yourself. You cannot at
present change your surroundings.
Whatever kind of life you are to
live, must be Owed amid precisely
the experiences in which you are
now moving. Here you must win
your victories or suffer your de-
feats You may think your lot is
hard may wish it were otherwise
that you had life of ease and
luxury, amid softer scenes, with
no briers or thorns. Then you
could be gentle, patient, serene,
trustful, happy. Vain dreaming
Whatever your life is to be made,
beautiful or marred, you must
make it where you are. No rest
lessness or discomfort can change
your lot. Others may have other
circumstances surrounding them,
but here are yours. You had bet
ter make up your mind TO accept
what you cannot al ter
The second thing for you to pom
der is, that this is the place in
which your Master desires you to
live your life.
"Thou cam'st not to thy place by accident;
It is the very place God meant for thee"
There is no hap-hazard in this
world God leads everyone by the
right way. He knows where your
particular life will ripen best. One
tree grows best in the sheltered
valley, and another on the bald,
bleak mountain top, swept by
storms And there is always
adaptation in nature. Every tree
or plant is found in the locality
where the conditions Of it's growth
exist. And do you think God cares
more for trees than for his chill
dren? He has planted you amid
the experiences and circumstances
| in which your life will grow and
ripen the best. The discipline to
which you are subjected in your
lot is the discipline you need to
bring out in you the beauties and
graces of true spiritual character.
You are in the right school. You
NAV think you would ripen better
| in 4 more easy and luxurious life,
but God makes no mistakes.
There is little fable which says
that a primrose growing away oft
by itself, in shady corner of the
garden, became discontented as it
saw the other flowers in their gay
beds in ehe sunshine, and begged to