Hope Amid Discouraging Surroundings
Our dissatisfaction over conditions exists almost wholly within our own hearts. There are thousands of noble, sensitive souls, meeting all sorts of abnormal conditions within their own homes,— deprivation of the comforts of life, sickness, poverty, a drunken companion perhaps, and yet maintaining amid such discouraging surroundings, a heart of peace, a remarkable hopefulness. Their spirit is not an echo of visible surroundings. It is not an overflowing of joy and helpfulness poured into their heart by those surrounding them. Their hopefulness is born from above. The atmosphere which surrounds them is constantly created by the companionship of their Lord.