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Don't waste your sufferings
NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! NEVER! GIVE UP! These were the seven words passionately spoken by Sir Winston Churchill to the English Parliament during one of the darkest hours for England during World War II.
I thought about this period in history as I listened to a sermon by my pastor. I always take pad and pen to church. My pastor usually says something in his remarks that lights a spark of emotion that gives birth to an idea for my weekly column in The Ouachita Citizen.
This particular Sunday the preacher shared with us that some of us fall into a pit. Whether the fault lies within us or is a result of outside influences beyond our control; it makes no difference. We are still in a pit. How we respond to life in the pits is decided by us.
Horatio G. Spafford was a wealthy businessman in Chicago in the 1800s. He made his fortune in real estate. Spafford and his wife had recently lost a son, who was only two years of age, to an illness. Then, in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 that destroyed most of the city, Spafford lost his entire business. In order to try to recover from the trauma of these losses, Spafford bought fares for him, his wife, and his four daughters for a trip to Europe on an ocean liner. Spafford thought that this trip would ease some of the pain that his family was enduring from these overwhelming adversities.
The day before the ship was to depart, Spafford was called into an emergency business meeting. He quickly made arrangements for his family to go on without him. After he attended to these business affairs, he would come later.
During the voyage to Europe the ship that his wife and four daughters were aboard experienced a violent storm that sunk their ship. The only member of the family to escape was Mrs. Spafford. All four daughters had drowned.
As soon as he had received this horrific news, Spafford boarded the earliest departure for Europe to join his wife. After hours on the ocean, Spafford's ship approached the location where the other ship had gone down. During these moments over the exact spot where his four daughters had drowned, Spafford was overcome with a great peace.
He took pen and paper with him out onto the deck of the ship. As he stood there with a peace, that only comes from God, and observed the ocean waters, Spafford was inspired to write these words. "When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, thou hast taught me to say, it is well. It is well with my soul." He took his pain and transformed his suffering into words that would influence millions for generations.
Many of us will not face tragedies like Horatio Spafford, but all of us will face certain sufferings from the negative trials placed in the paths of our lives. Our lives can be influenced by our reactions toward the negative.
Life's hard experiences will either make us bitter, or make us better.
The Rosenberg family faced the horrors of the concentration camps, but when they immigrated to the United States where they chose to make a better life. I loved being around Mr. Sol Rosenberg. His zest for life and his enthusiastic conversations were a joy to share. He took the negative and transformed this darkness into light. His attitude toward life changed the negative into a positive encounter. He chose to make life better.
A pastor once said to me, "Robert Charles, don't waste your sufferings."
Robert Charles Payne is an inspirational writer who lives in West Monroe. He can be contacted by e-mailing robertcharlespayne@yahoo.com. |
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