DEFEATED BUT NOT DISCOURAGED
presidential convention of the ma jor political party. He lost to a political unknown on the final bal let. Running again for the Senate, he waged a campaign which cap tured the attention of the nation but which only netted him defeat. A man who may have had a right to feel discouraged but who evi- dentally never dwelt upon failure or defeat. Instead he dedicated himself to the ideals and principles in which he believed. His eventual reward was that he attained un dying fame as one of the greatest presidents our nation has ever known, Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps you are tempted to feel discouraged under the weight and load of the Cares and affairs of life. Remem ber the exhortation of Scripture, “Casting all your cares (worries, problems, frustrations, perplexi ties) upon Him (the Lord Jesus Christ), because He careth for you!" ( You are His special con cern.) Spirit is the driver of the believer and we should keep our eyes upon Him constantly. We should be sensi tive to His will and respond immedi ately to His touch ascertaining His holy purpose and plan. Finally, no harness would be com plete without two lines, the reins. Lines enable the driver to communi cate his mind and his will to the horse. In the Christian’s harness the lines represent the Old and the New Testaments. They are in the hands of the Holy Spirit who is the driver. By means of these He guides and leads us in paths that please Him. By these we are enabled to carry out the Lord’s purposes, to go where He wants us to go, to stay when He wants us to stay. May He bind each one of us, like a willing horse, to the harness of God, ready and willing to follow His gracious leading. 9
The next time you are tempted to he discouraged, remember the young man who had a very limited background, possessing little more than a self-administered education. When he completed military serv ice, he decided to enter politics and ran for a seat in the state legisla ture. As a result, he was soundly defeated. He retired from politics to try his hand at the storekeeper’s trade. The store went bankrupt. He spent the next 17 years of his life paying off his debts. He fell in love with a young woman and suf fered the heart-breaking experi ence of watching her die from ty phoid fever. He again entered poli tics, this time as a candidate for Congress. He was elected by a narrow m a r g i n but when he sought a position with the United States Land Office, he failed to get the job. He became a candidate for the United States Senate and was defeated. He was nominated for the Vice-Presidency of the Harnesses (Continued) By means of a hairnet ’ the horse is enabled both to go and to stop. There are times when he should go ahead. Then there are other times when he should stand still. The harness is iftade so he can do both. So it must be in our lives. There are times to go and times to stay; there are times to pull, there are times to hold back. Then it may be that the harness has on it a part which is called “the kicking strap.” The horse is prone to kick with his hind legs. A strap is adjusted so that the horse cannot raise its hips to kick. How sad it is when we see Christians on whom God has had to put a kicking strap. Some times a saint of God becomes a chron ic kicker. He complains about every thing in the church. Some harnesses are made with blinders on his harness. The Holy
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