| Garden of the Heart |
Chapter 7 |
Page 6 |
Wherever a vision of suffering, of need, of degradation, of want, or of sin is shown to us, it should be regarded as a call to us to do something to give relief, to rescue, or to save.
The Scriptures present certain visions of heavenly life which are meant to draw us up to their own high ideal. One of these is love. “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another,” said the Master. The rule of love He also gave: “A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another.” St. Paul writes out the lesson of love in words with which all are familiar:
“Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; rejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth; beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”
These words, as we think of them, bring up a heavenly vision before us. Love, first of all, sweetens the disposition, the spirit, the temper, the manners, and the whole life. Then it makes us interested in others. In a Salvation Army Rescue Home there is a motto on the mantelpiece, consisting of only one word – “Others.” That is the key word of Christianity – “Others,” never self. Self is a blighting spirit. It quenches all that is beautiful in any life. It is like the upas tree; in its atmosphere nothing lovely will grow. “Others” is Christ’s word. He forgot Himself. He lived to bless others. He died to save others. His gospel teaches us to do the same. He bids us to go two miles when only one mile is required, to forget self and gladly to make any sacrifice in saving and helping others. There is a story of a boy who, when his little brother feared to leap over the crack in the ice, laid himself down across it, making a bridge of his body on which his brother crept over. That is what love requires us to do – become a bridge over streams and chasms, over needs and difficulties, on which others may cross to better things, to new hope and joy and success.
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