what to do and the stores closed. It was good to have the white man’s cars. They were run day and night with no thought for any service, except to put in gas. No one knew how to fix them and the result was chaos. In such a manner, everything in the Congo “ground to a halt.” The entire eco nomy was completely and seemingly hopelessly ruined. How would you feel if you had to go back to these people who, only a short time before, had spit in your face and taken away all of your pos sessions? This was one of my jobs when I went to the Congo. I was talk ing to some missionaries who were required to work with tire same people that had spit in their faces a couple of years ago. They had taken away THE CLOCK OF LIFE The clock of life is wound but once, And no man has the power To tell just where the hands will stop A t late or early hour. To lose one's wealth is sad indeed; To lose one's health is mote; To lose one's soul is such a loss As no man can restore. The present only is our own, Live, love, toil with a will— j Place no faith in "tomorrow" — for The clock may then be stiff. their cars and had gone into their houses and ruined their furniture and houses, yet now they were saying, “W ill you forgive us? We were wrong. We were deceived.” What would you do? Being human, some of the mission aries had feelings similar to what most of us have experienced. It was hard to forgive. How wonderful to realize that Christ died for our sins and has prom ised, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” Again His words are, “I say unto you, love your enemies. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and perse cute you.” Everyone of those mission aries had read that verse, perhaps
never dreaming that someday they would have to apply it in their own ministry. It is so easy to allow bitter ness, hate and disgust to well up in one’s heart. Have you ever experienced this same problem? Maybe someone has been quite inconsiderate of you. They have mistreated you, just like these Congolese did. In such cases, as with the missionaries, we must see ourselves as needy people. It is easy to think that someone else, who has mistreated you, should re pent. But that is not what I am say ing. You are to love these people who have been unlovely to you. Someone says, “I suppose you would love them?” Supposing I didn’t love them. Two of us would then be in the wrong. The real test of our Christian experience is the matter of forgiving people we may not want to forgive. The Lord Jesus Christ died to give us the kind of a spirit to forgive those who may not deserve it. For some reason most people want to nurse their grudges. There seems to be something pleasant about thinking daggers at somebody. It seems to be too much fun to give up. Most people who come to the coun seling room to see me are those who have very much these same problems. They will say, “What am I going to do about the people in my life who aren’t behaving themselves the Way they should?” Our ministry is a matter of accepting degraded people who are doing things which may be clearly wrong and yet loving them with all our hearts, seeking to minister unto them, especially when they don’t de serve jt. The difference between happy and unhappy people does not depend upon where you are but upon what is your joy, peace and patience with oth ers. The victorious answer is a day by day communion with God. As a funda mental preparation, say with the Psalmist, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try mie and know my thoughts, and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Doing this you will be a demonstrator of the power and grace of God in and through your life. 11
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker