| J. R. Miller | Page 9 |
Two people in the same house, looking out at the same windows, on the same things, will see things in such very different ways that one shall be made unhappy and wretched, while the other is made to rejoice and sing. There is a suggestive story of a Christian woman who moved into a new flat, which was not conspicuous for its cheerful surroundings or its pleasant outlook. The average woman would have found there a very commonplace shelter from the snow of winter and the heat and rains of summer. But this woman was happy in her home. One day a friend called and was asked by this cheerful housewife to note the pleasant outlook she had from her window. “Yes,” said the visitor, “I see a remarkably fine lot of chimneys and back buildings.” “ Chimneys and black buildings!” exclaimed the hostess. Why, I never saw them before. I looked over all that you see, and saw those magnificent trees which form such a picturesque line on the horizon. I thought only of the trees and the glorious sunsets I see from this window.”
This woman had learned one of the secrets of being of good cheer. She had trained herself to see out of her windows trees and sunsets instead of dingy roofs, black chimney tops, and unsightly back buildings. This habit made all the world beautiful for her. She always saw loveliness whenever she looked out. She was blind to the unpleasant sights which some people can find everywhere, even in a garden of flowers or a gallery of paintings.
He who has learned to see the beauty even in things unsightly, the good in things evil, the encouragement in things discouraging, the comfort in things painful, has found one of the truest and most potent secrets of cheerfulness. Such a habit always finds something bright in the dreariest condition,
“There are nettles everywhere,
But smooth green mosses are more common still;
The blue of heaven is larger than the cloud.”
Page 9
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