| Things to Live For |
Chapter 22 |
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We all come every day to similar points in life where we must choose whether we will save or lose our life. Duties that are hard are facing us continually; what are we doing with them. It is less trouble not to take them up. It is easier to be self indulgent on Sunday or on week evenings when we are weary or slightly indisposed or the weather is unfavorable, than it is to go to the church services; so we save our life by putting on wrapper and slippers, and quietly staying at home. It is easier not to be a teacher in the Sunday school – it ties one down to have to go out in all seasons to meet a class, and besides, there are others who can teach; why shouldn’t they do it? It is easier not to give money systematically to God’s cause – there are so many things of our own we can spend it for, and it is comfortable to have our bank account grow.
It is easier not to be forgiving, but to hold grudges, and remember wrongs done to us, and to let our heart cherish its bitterness; it costs far less struggle just to hate people who have been unkind and hateful to us than to try to love them and repay them with kindness. It is easier not to try to be active in Christian work, taking part in meetings, working on committees, visiting the sick, but rather to fold our hands and let others do the work. It is easier not to trouble ourselves much about lost souls, just to look after our own life; it is hard to be always feeling the responsibility of the saving of others. It is easier just to think of self, and go on doing business, making money, building up our own fame, marching toward the goal of our ambition, and giving no thought to other people. Other people are in our way; they take our time; they hinder us; they keep us back; it costs to wait for them, or to stop in our busy life to help them.
These are illustrations of what loving our life means. It is taking good care of one’s self, keeping one’s self back from inconvenient and burdensome serving. We do not need great occasions to give us chances to save or lose our life; we have plenty of chances every common day. Every time we decline a duty of love because it is hard, unpleasant, or costly; every time we choose the way of selfishness; every time we take the easy path to save ourselves trouble, we are saving our life. But in such saving we are losing. We have things easier, but the loss is irreparable.
Look at the other side. “He that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” Of course this does not mean that we are to despise our life, or be careless of it, or waste it. Life is sacred. It is God’s gift to us, and we must never do anything to harm it, to lessen its value, to mar its beauty. To be reckless of life is a grievous sin. It is not our own –this life we bear about with us; it is God’s, and we must cherish it, use it, then answer for it. We must love our own life.
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