River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-06-30
Disappointments
of Our Lives
By REV. F. r. MARSH
Pastor First Congregational Church
Houston. Texas

What we see, largely determines
what we are. The books we read and
the sights we witness furnish much OF
the foodstuff out of which character is
made. Indeed, we say broadly: "See-
ing is believing" and limit the field OF
mans activities to the boundaries OF
his horizon.
It is not without significance that
the children of Israel, dying from fe-
yer caused by the fiery serpents, were
told that everyone who looked should
i've Surely the principle is of wider
application than this isolated incident.
It can be truly said that only those
who look really live. Here is blind
man. He never had the incentive to
work that comes to every man at the
sight of thousands of his fellows
thronging our city's streets, intent
upon their business. Standing on
some mountain peak, he never saw
the crimson bars falling behind the
king of day; never knew the glory
of God as skies with sun and stars
and consultations unfold his mighty
acts; never felt the inspiration when
the night was passed and ON the
morning sky clusters Of purple cloud
began to ripen in the crimson dawn
that man does not know nature, nor
life nor God. They who truly live
must also see. Vision has value.
Years ago it may have been, stand
ing on a tower of hope perhaps, as
did the prophet Habakkuk, you peered
through the mists of the future and
saw vision in the days to be. Per-
haps it was an ideal by which you
wished to live. Perhaps it was an
achievement you hoped to realize.
Perhaps it was goal you determined
to reach. That was your vision and
you made resolution to realize that
vision.
Years have passed. You have not
been living on the tower. You have
plunged in the valleys. You have
waded deep waters. You have scaled
steep heights. Sometimes it has been
hard, God knows. Down the high
ways of the years you have come
struggling, crying, cursing, some
times praying, but the ideal has not
been realized. Disappointment means
the failure of one of two parties to
keep an appointment. The vision has
failed
Here is where prophet on tower
is needed. He can see some things
which you can not. You, in the
depths below! You, in the darkness
behind! You, disappointed at the
appointed place, hear what the Lord
God says to Habakkuk on the tower:
"The vision is yet for an appointed
time. though it tarry, wait
for it, because it will surely come"
Lies disappointments are uni.
versal experience. Some disappoint.
ments must succeed the certain de.
lusions of youth. The man higher
up has spoken word to us and our
cherished plans have crumbled like
jig saw puzzle. Joys we have sought
are crowded back into the future.
Stern reality has driven beyond today
into that vast tomorrow blessings
that seemed almost within our grasp.
Angels with drawn and flaming
swords have guarded entrance to Par
adise to which we dragged our weary
feet.
It is equally true of the moral life.
In the darkness of some depression
we have had a vision of what we
might be, of what we ought to be and
of what we said: "By the grace of
God, we will be-"
But we haven't. At least 1 hope we
have not attained that ideal. I say
"hope So" because 1t we have
achieved that ambition it means, not
that we have made wonderful prog
ress, but that the vision was too in
significant to have lasting value.
The disappointments Of life, be they
in secular business, Christian work
or Christian character, may produce
one of two results. One is despair.
Hope deferred makes the heart sick.
Disappointments are like eggs, which,
brooded over and Matched, produce
the serpents of despair. When man
begins to ask: whats the use?" he
ought to stop and find out.
The other effect of disappointment
may be to call up reserves of strength
and new battalions of energy.
Within the past year three notable
biographies have been published of
an actor, a soldier and a reporter.
Richard Mansfield, autocrat, of
naughty spirit, at the beginning of his
career was offered an important part
in play. He tainted because he had
been two days without food, which he
was too poor to buy, and was imme-
diately dismissed. Disappointment of
poverty. Tecumseh Sherman, forty
years old, wrote: 'T look upon my
self as dead cock in the pit, not
worthy of further notice" Disap-
pointed ambitioni A little English
boy, whose father was dead, whose
mother had abandoned him, ran away
from the poor house, drifted to Amer
lea, fought as confederate soldier
mt Shiloh and eventually crowned dis
appointments with the laurels of sue
cess. His real name was John Row.
lands; the world knows him, by the
grace of the queen of England, as Sir
Henry M. Stanley.
Think of the disappointments of
these men and host of others who
have endured as seeing an invisible
vision. Paul wrote: I'VE are trou-
bled on every side, yet not distressed"
We are perplexed, but not altogether
without help Prosecuted but NOT for.