| The Ministry of Comfort |
Chapter 1 |
Page 4 |
St. Paul tells us, at the close of his wonderful chapter on the resurrection, that our labour is not in vain in the Lord. Beyond our narrow horizon a world of infinite largeness awaits us. Nothing done for Christ shall fail or be in vain. All good things shall live for ever. The seeds we sow here which cannot come to harvest in earth’s little years, will have abundant time for ripening in the measureless after years. The slowest ripening fruit will some day become mellow and luscious.
There is comfort in this for those whose life seems a failure here – crushed like a trampled flower under the heel of wrong or sin, broken, torn. There will be time enough in the immortal days for such broken lives to grow into strength and loveliness. Think of living a thousand years, a million years, in a world where there shall be no sin, no struggle, no injustice, no failure, but where every influence shall be inspiring and enriching, for in the immortal life all growth is towards youth, not toward the decrepitude of age. The truth of immortality gives us a vision also of continued existence in love and blessedness for those who have passed from us and beyond our sight. We miss them and we ask a thousand questions about them, yet get no answer from this world’s wisdom. But looking through the broken grave of Christ, as through a window we see green fields on the other side, and amid the gladness and the joy we catch glimpses of the dear faces we miss from the earthly circle.
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