Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-20
tors your best. That /. the perfection God

What Is this reaching forward toward
perfection but just growing? Let us look
at the lily life and consider II. The lily
grows. 1t can grow anywhere. There Is
TO hurry about It, no squirt for speed no
leaps and bounds of intermittent activity.
1t Just grows. What deep restfuiness
breathes in that word. Here are men and
women urged by every sort of eagerness,
trying 20 OUTRAGE one another in this or
that pursuit. making dire efforts to push
ahead In this or that direction. or to make
uD for lost time in another. The lily only
grows.
The lily finds that God has placed 1t
where IL is If it is to be changed, He VIII
change II. 1t has its proper soil. It's rlch
sunlight its enough of everything. II uses
all these to the full and grows, ana II
comes with its flower lesson TO men anu
women all we lried and worried with the
cares of this world. the strivings for hlgh
places the desire TO be an apostle or
prophet when God has only made them
teachers-its lesson that but one thing IS
needful and that is to grow. Our mss on
i'm this world. then. is net to get or to pc
great or to do large things. but TO use tiis
facilities furnished us for spiritual growth
and then to grow.
But how is that growth to be attaineu:
The lily is the equal product of the earth
and heavens. Round its roots you VIII ftiu
the earth. and from the earth IL siLns.a
no,rishment,, but il could not iVe win
Garth alone Overhead is the SOFT biue shy
with its gentle airs and refreshing oeWs;
There are many who seek to acmeVe ihO VI, d
beauty and perfection without SKY ~
dews and light and darkness ana the Wiiu'
the sea sons marching in even step al COM
mond of an eternal will; the rain that iee
its thirst ali helped to make the p@au'S VI
the lily. ,.,s of tho
For full development man has need OF .he
inward ouiet look the starry silence, 'he
aion.ss-with-God OF the night; the CON-
hitting of himself for the Gay IN uhe lio- -
ing. the absolute trust that lie VIII senu a., a.,
that is needed. and the patient waiting oi'
Him for it, ho.,tiful Iifa
Rev Mench Chambers says 10 rise
each morning with thought Oh Goo III nv, .n
soul left over to fill new mission, lei.
over from the night before " 49,
descending the stairs for the consecratloti
of your daily life and the renewed assur
ance of His guidance of you Just LOT Ga
day-that is the true preface or peautiuA
life , i.So,+
nerfect may put itself in the way of splr-
itual blessing, the way OF prayer " STU.
ing the Scripture. of attending pupuc Wof,
ship, of mingias with heip'ui ,, an ba So
people. Not one Of us can tell JUST nov q
is a lily has the power to changc ishl . ailu
air and moisture into leaves ana petais nv. .,,a
than the richest fabrics. we aceePI Tue
fact with regard to flower but. as Henry
Drun,mond saws. when the soul rises
slowly above the world. pushing up IT'S cell
cate virtues in the teeth or SIN snap.nS
itself mysteriously into the image or thrlst,
will "a high ideal the reward OF VIZ
tue Christian influence and the IKE.
1t is not by work that growth comes. NJ
moralist work he ever so hard, can accoiii-
plish the perfect. the beautliui NE. ND nd
iiIy were to turn her fair face DOWNWARD
and go to groveling and digging IN .ie
ground in vain endeavor to assist nea
growth she would lose. not gain IL IS me
upward receptive look to the rather race
that is her strength and ours.
Frances f. Willard, noteworthy among
those who grew up for God, once wrote:
az remember that l used to think myselI
smart. l used to plan great thinsS : 'la nsr
would do and be. But 1t Is over.
| have come TO this point: 1 thlhk
myself not good, not gifted IN any way. !
cannot see why l should be loved, why !
should hope for myself peau!ilul an" ~
happy life or a glorious immortality at us
close Never before in al! my life nave l
held myself at cheap rate.
Jump into the scales, F. F.. W., IN honesty
before God, say 1t reVerentiy, you stial
be weighed What you believe of yoursell
is vital to you. Let others think as they
will. if you feel the victory in you, as my
father says, all things are possible.
II would be good for every ioiioWer oi
Jesus to thus look into himself and see
inst what he is and whether he is really
growing up for God Some people are
afraid of becoming morbid on the SUBJECT II
they think about themselves ana their own
acts but it is good to put ourselves along
side the living model Jesus Christ, once a
day and see whether we conform to the
image of perfection. If little child wrote
on an on in the oopybook and got farther
and farther from the perfect line at the
top and never looked up to see 1t, how far
from right would the last lines be?
John Ruskin suggests:
''See that no day passes in which you 90
not make yourself somewhat better crea-
ture; and in order TO do that, find out hrst
what YOU are now. Do not think vaguely
about it: take pen and paper and write
down as accurate description or yourself
as YOU can. with the date to 1t. II you
dare not do so. find out why you dare not,
and try to get strength of heart enough to
look yourself fairly in the face, in mind as
well as in body. l do not doubt that the
mind is a less pleasant think to look at than
the face and for that very reason 1t needs
looking at; so always have two mirrors on
your toilet table. and see that with proper
care you dress your mind and your body
before them every day daily. After the
dressing Is once over for the day think no
more about It: as your hair will blow about
your ears your temper and thoughts
will get ruffled with the days work, and
may need sometimes twice dressing; but
don't want you to carry about mental
pocket-comb; only to .be smooth braided
always in the morning