The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1909-11-25
@bort 9ernro'.s
5unnap Balf-Dour
Theme:
TAKING LIFE EASILY

Text: behold the fowls of the air;
for they SOW not, neither do they
reap, nor gather into barns; yet your
heavenly Father fec1eth them. Ara
ye NOT much better than they?-
Matt, vi, 26.
That the great Teacher knew men
well, their weaknesses and their
needs, is remarkably shown by this
counsel He bad noted the anxiety
written in their faces. Their duties.
their burdens, their responsibilities,
weighed down the upEft of their
hearts.
And how mich more He would
have observed the same aspect today
Life then was simple aid free COM
pared with the present. Social condi-
tons have grown so complex that 1t
is hard to keep from being under
stress. II one looks at the multitudes
of persons he meets Cd our streets,
every one seems in hurry, as if
bearing a strain. Life IL not being
lived easily and naturally, but under
a pressure-almo painfully. Ever
the faces of the young reveal this Sc
we're conception Of life.
Now Christ considered this a dis
torted, needless and unhappy thing
And so He calls men to look at the
freedom and blithesome joy Of the
carolling birds so much wiser in
their simplicity than they 10 all their
4
then, can we avoid this error and
take life easily and natul ally?
Love your work. Do not think that
every one else has an easier calling
than you have. Most OF us have
found the labor fitted to our hand,
and, remembering that work is life's
chief business, we should take delight
in it. Throw away all ambition be-
yond that of doing your days work
we'll
Exercise neighborliness, feel kindly
to your brother man, show an interest
in his success, live and let live. find
pleasure in love and interest in 9TH
ers. 1t is our selfishness that accounts
for much of our stress. Were we sat.
isfied with our portion instead of cher
ishing a grasping spirit, we would find
life far less thorny road. He who
takes time to do kindly action light
ems his own task and illumes his own
face
Again, have some innocent recrea.
ton. 1t is the greatest error to con-
found religion with abstinence and
austerity. The Church has never
made the mistake of opposing harm
less pleasures. Those Christian peo-
pie who have done so have sadly mis-
represented it.
Never worry over evils to come.
Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof" Far more troubles are suf.
fered in imagination than in reality.
Let us hope for the best instead of
dresding the worst. Never bear more
than one trouble at a time. Some
people bear three kinds all they have
had, all they have now and all they
expect to have. Let us not, then, SUI.
fer from imaginary sorrows.
And when troubles do come bear
them patiently. Patience is as a case
VI dl iuoI dl OuIiu Tie WHICH
deaoens the blows inflicted on it. I'M
patience not only strips off the GOV.
ering but lays bare the very quick
in all its sensitiveness of nerve. To
bear evils with patience extracts from
them their snarpest thorns and gath
ers from them the sweetest graces Of
temper
But the chief means of taking life
easily is that to which the Master
here points us. 1t is the lesson taught
by the birds. They are by no means
idle. They work from morning until
night. But their activity is without
care. Their life is free, joyous, I'm.
burdened by anxiety-a gladstone
flight, a ceaseless song. "And yet
your Heavenly Father feedeth them.
Are ye rot much better than they?"
Let US, tnen, have faith in God. Let
us do our work and trust the rest to
Him.