| Finding the Way |
Chapter 9 |
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The love of God is infinite. It is infinite in its tenderness. Human love is easily wearied. The Divine love is inexhaustible in its patience and gentleness. Looking back over his past life, with all its follies, failure, and sins, and remembering the goodness of God which never had given him up, but which had brought him to honour and power, David, in his old age, gave the secret of it all in the words, “thy gentleness hath made me great.” None of us know how much we owe to God’s gentleness.
A writer tells the story of a boy who at the age of eight was regarded as being of feeble mind, hopelessly imbecile, the result of some illness in infancy. The boy’s father was widely known as an educator. Inspired by his deep love for his child, he took personal charge of his training, devoting himself to it most assiduously. If the boy had been sent to ordinary schools, he would probably never have been anything but an imbecile. As it was, however, he became bright and talented, passed with honour through one of the great universities, and became a man of ability and influence. The father’s gentleness made him great. His genius as a teacher, inspired by his strong love for his child, took the poor, stunted life, and by patience developed its latent possibilities into beauty and noble strength.
This is what God’s wonderful love does with us. What would we have been but for the Divine care of us? As the warm sunshine falling upon the bare, dried, briery bush unsightly and apparently useless, woos out leaves and buds and marvelous roses, sot the warm love of God, falling upon our poor, sin hurt lives, with only death before them awakens in them heavenly yearnings and longings and aspiration, and leads them out and glorifies them.
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