THE TRIBUTE OF SUFFERING.
It is those whom we love most upon whom we lay the heaviest burdens. We do not turn to strangers or untried acquaintances when we would lean hard on some one in a crisis of life. We tax most those whom we trust most. And what is true of our relations with each other is true of the Father’s relations with his children. He does not send stress and burdens to weaklings. “God must love you very much to trust you with such suffering,” said one to a friend whose burden seemed unbearable. But God does for us what we can not do for each other; with the suffering he sends the strength to bear it. Every fresh burden is proof of His love, of His confidence in us, of His plans for our refining. Every new test brings with it more than enough of His strength to meet it triumphantly. And as we look back at our past experiences we see now the reason for rejoicing in every such experience. Could we order our lives better?