The Farmville herald and farmer-leader. (Farmville, Va.) 1934-1957, 1953-01-16


that you can't really see what you
are doing. 1t is possible mot to
see the forest for the trees" To
put it in another way: Life has a
rhythm of mountain and valley. In
life We have to do two things:
get up now and again on a noun
tain where we can see high and
far; and also to walk in the valley
where we cannot see beyond the
next bend in the dusty road
To put it in still palmer words:
Most OF our life consists Of every
day duties, Of ordinary days. with
their problems, disbursements.
WEAKNESS and difficulties. But in
rare moments we 'get a lift as
we say, when we can rise above
the retty round Of the usual routine
and somehow see life, its meaning
and direction. as we never did be-
tore. The mountain-top experience
we may call the best OF life; but
the valley is the most of life. The
good life will have both mountain
and valley.
Vision and Service
These high moments are rare
but important. We read of one OF
the most memorable OF these in
the familiar story Of the Transfig-
uration. and what followed it. There
was the great vision on Mt, Her
mons SHOWS; and there was the
tough situation down in the valley.
Tough situations were common;
that vision came only once. It is
the way OF life always. Paul S
vision on the Damascus road did
not last long, yet it controlled and
inspired his whole life afterwards.
Moses saw but one burning bush;
yet that days vision drove him
through many year of toll and
trouble. It is the high moments
that give power to the low days.
Life cannot be all vision. yet it
should not be all service. Or as we
should rather say. the vision is
for the sake Of the service. and
the service translates the vision
into action. Vision illunines serv-
ice; service obeys vision. High
moments come to us in various
ways. We have our high moments
Of faith when doubt drops away
and we rise to certainty that
never quite leaves us again. We
have high moments Of hope, when
the distant dream comes over the
horizon toward us and we see the
"alabaster cities gleam' as if they
were across the street: and high
moments of love. so certain. SO
profound. that ever after. under all
the trivial and troubling currents
Of everyday necessity the deeper
love flows steady, ever sure.
Trust Your Best Moods
Life has two temptations here.
One is to make the mountain
vision last without ceasing. We do
not want the glory to vanish in the
cloud. But this is a temptation. Not
even heaven is like that. There
will be vision in heaven. moro
glorious than any here: but there
will be service too. and more faith
full than any here. II there are any
beings whom God has destined for
vision only. and not for service.
they are angels. not men.
The opposite temptation is to
stick at our work, never looking up
to see the stars; plodding in the
valley. too busy to climb the hills.
Suppose the disciples had been too
busy to 20 up TO the mountain top
with Jesus? Trust your best moods
They do not deceive you. il they
come in his company. Down in the
valley. in the tough situation. they
may seem TO have been only
dreams; but they are not.
tsssea - .stli.ss ssyy.isAtes ~ tie
Ussai CsaneN Of the CAurehes ef Christ
In The U.S.A. Released BY "NU