| Things to Live For |
Chapter 22 |
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The finest thing in life is not to make a success of one’s career as the world rates success. One may come to high renown, and do deeds divinely fair, as men see them, and become a pillar of the state, winning an empire all one’s own, and yet miss himself, lose his own life. If he does this he makes a mistake in whose shadow his eternity must be spent.
Perhaps we do not always realize how easy it is to make this mistake. We think of large services and great sacrifices, but we have much more to do with small one, and the principle is the same. Every day brings to us opportunities of saving or losing our life. Here is a duty which is unpleasant, from which we shrink. We are not bound to do it; we can choose either the harder or the easier way, and may decline the duty. We weigh the pros and cons for a little while, and then decide no to do it. Worldly prudence approves our choice. We could not afford to pay the price. We have saved our life. Yes, so it seems. But really we have lost our life.
It applies in the matter of service. A friend or neighbor is in sore need or trouble. We learn of this his condition, and it is in our power to relieve him, or at least to give him valuable help. It is not convenient, however, nor easy for us to do it. It will cost us much trouble, perhaps considerable outlay of money or exertion. It will be much easier not to render the service. Yet the law of love says we should help our neighbor. Self answers up and pleads that it is not our matter, that we are not responsible, that we are not bound to do it. After more or less parleying between love and selfishness, we decide no to do the thing he needs. We have saved our money, our labor, our time, but we have lost our life; we have hurt ourselves irreparably.
Both the priest and the Levite in the parable saved themselves a great deal of trouble, time, toil, danger, and sacrifice, by not stopping to help the unfortunate man they came upon on their journey. But, after all, was it a saving that was profitable? It cost the Good Samaritan a great deal to stop and care for the wounded man; but who will say he made a mistake? It was a losing which was a saving.
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