Men, too, in their busy life, are continually called to struggle,
ofttimes to suffer. Life is not easy for any who would live truly.
Work is hard; burdens are heavy; responsibility is great; trials are
sore; duty is large. Life's competitions are fierce; its rivalries are
keen; its frictions sometimes grind men's very souls well nigh to
death. It is hard to live sweetly amid the irritations that touch
continually at most tender points. It is hard to live lovingly and
charitably when they see so much inequity and wrong, and sometimes must
themselves endure men's uncharity and injustice. It is hard to toil
and never rest, earning even then scarce enough to feed and clothe
those who are dependent on them for care. It is hard to meet
temptation's fierce assaults, and keep themselves pure, unspotted from
the world, ready for heaven any hour the Lord may come.
It is no wonder that men are sometimes discouraged and lose heart.
They are like those weary disciples that spring morning on the Sea of
Galilee, after they had toiled all night and had taken nothing. But
let us not forget the vision that awaited these disciples with the
coming of the dawn--the risen Jesus standing on the shore with his
salutation of love and his strong help that instantly turned failure
into blessing. So over against every tempted, struggling, toiling life
of Christian disciple, Christ is ever standing, ready to give victory
and to guide to highest good.
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