Accoutered in habiliments of death,
Sweet Freedom's radiant form has drawn new breath—
The breath of life which they so nobly gave
Shall swell anew above the lowly grave,
And give new life and hope to hearts that beat
Like battle-drums that never sound retreat.
(1019)
FAILURE TRANSFORMED TO SUCCESS
A captain's little son had tried all day to
make a boat, but at night he had only succeeded
in misshaping the wood. His father
saw the tears on the sleeping lad's face, and
took up the wood and with the deft skill of
experience soon changed the shapeless block
into a beautiful little boat. Then, leaving it
on the table by his son's bed, he lay down
to sleep. When morning dawned and the
boy saw the boat, so perfect in its shape and
style, he marveled how his own failure had
been turned into success. Will not God take
our endeavors, poor and faulty tho they be,
and change them into triumphs? Let us do
our best and leave our work at nightfall,
awaiting His hand to complete it. (Text.)
(1020)
Fairness—See Justice.
FAITH
The child lying at night in its little crib
by its mother's side cries out because of the
darkness its eyes can not penetrate, and
wants to get up. The mother says, "Lie still
and wait till daylight, child." And the little
one asks, "When will that be?" The mother
says, "It will be daylight after a while," and
taking the tiny hand in hers the restless
child calmly drops into peaceful slumber,
confident that at morning's dawn light will
come. So with God's grown-up children.
Amid the impenetrable gloom of limited
knowledge we grow restless and uneasy because
we can not see Him face to face, but
by faith, putting our hands in His, we may
confidently expect the dawning. (Text.)
(1021)
The Norwegian missionary Braadvedt once asked his native Zulu teacher, "What is faith and what is unbelief?"
The Christian Zulu replied, "In Zululand strong men carry people over the rivers when the water is high. Before these men go through the river they tell those whom they carry to take a firm hold. Those who have confidence in the carrier and obey him safely reach the other side, but those who lose confidence and let go their hold, perish in the water. That is faith and unbelief. To have faith means to take hold of Christ and His Word, to lack faith means to let go Christ and His Word."
(1022)
A man stood upon a height, overlooking an estuary of the sea. On the opposite shore was a bold headland. Wishing to cross thither, he cast about to find a way, but the abyss of water lay between. Then One who stood between him said: "The bridge is safe; advance and fear not." "But I see no bridge," said the traveler. "Take this glass and look," said the One who stood at his side. And the man took it and looked, and lo! a bridge was spanning the great gulf of waters. Yet he saw but a small part of that end that was nearest. He went forward courageously, and, as he advanced, the bridge stretched out before him, tho the farther end was still obscured. He marveled much at this wonder, and inquired the reason. "This glass," exclaimed the One who had led him to look, "is Faith; it gives spiritual vision and reveals that which is hid from the eye of flesh." Advancing more confidently, he saw the bridge now more clearly, as its proportions were gradually disclosed. And he went on his way across, singing and rejoicing, for he was glad at heart. (Text.)
(1023)
An English writer tells this incident and draws from it the lessons that follow:
The other day I was passing through a
London square, and noticed a little girl feeding
some pigeons. Quite a number were
fluttering around her, some getting more,
some less, of what she had to give them. But
one, bolder than the rest, had settled on her
wrist, and was getting his supply direct from
the basin she was holding in her hand. Needless
to say, that pigeon got the most of all.
Instinctively I thought of the verse: "Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb. 4:16). But there was something else besides boldness that the bird possest; altho only a pigeon, it certainly showed faith in the good will of the little girl. Whether she had been there on the same errand before I can not say, as I very seldom pass that way; but it was evident that it regarded her as a child to be trusted, and one who would not do a feathered friend any harm. Thus, while its companions got comparatively little, this one, by
