| J. R. Miller | Page 5 |
The secret of such a human friendship lies in the calm, secure strength of the life. It is like a rock in its firmness, its security, its immovableness. This quality has been gotten through conflicts and sorrows in which the spirit has been victorious. This friend has met the world, and has overcome it; has been tried, and has not failed.
In such a rare human friendship we have a hint of what Christ means when he says to his disciples: “In me ye may have peace.” He has overcome all the world’s evil, and stands in the midst of the world’s broad desert plains, where storms sweep and heat oppresses. “We can all flee to him and find refuge. All hurts are indeed soothed in him. When he comes, night turns to day, heaviest burdens seem light, hardest tasks become easy. In the world we have tribulations; but he has overcome the world, and in him we have peace. Thus he gives us reason for his counsel: “Be of good cheer.”
It is the privilege of every friend of Christ to be of good cheer, no matter what the circumstances of his life may be. Privilege makes duty. We ought always to be cheerful. We ought to carry music in our heart and the light of joy in our face wherever we go, in whatsoever experiences we find ourselves.
The fact is, however, that not all Christians are cheerful at all times, in all circumstances. Some are scarcely ever cheerful — are indeed habitually uncheerful. Others are cheerful at times, when the sun shines, while all things go well with them; but the light fades out of their faces when clouds gather and storms arise. If cheerfulness is a Christian duty, we ought to learn it. How, then, can we learn to be of good cheer even in times of sorrow and trouble?
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