Ellet J. Waggoner
The Present Truth | December 14, 1893
Even the darkest, saddest life is endowed richly with the Divine mercies. God is not angry with us if, when He has seen fit to allow some terrible misfortune to befall us, we temporarily forget them [the Divine mercies] to some extent. He understands and pities us while He chastens. But as soon as we recover our mental and spiritual balance sufficiently, we can see that they have not failed us. We even come to perceive it usually that our very distresses were mercifully sent.
These and kindred truths often are admitted freely, and not only by professed Christians. They ought also to be studied attentively. It is more than merely worth one’s while to appreciate them. What would be thought of a merchant who should make careful estimate of his debts and of the possibilities of a commercial disaster, and should refuse or neglect to reckon up also his assets and the reasonable probabilities of future prosperity? Does not the same principle apply in spiritual things? No one can rightly understand his actual relation to either God or man, or face the future calmly and cheerfully until he is counted and weighed his mercies.
We also owe it to ourselves to deal justly by our Heavenly Father. We are bound in honor to recognize gratefully the blessings, which come to each of us from His hand. We dwarf our own better natures and we wrong Him if we fail to appreciate His goodness. Too much of the depression, which seems to engloom some lives is wholly needless. There are even some people who seem to hug their misery and to refuse such cheer as is offered. Studying our mercies habitually, prayerfully, never fails to sweeten the bitterest lot and to illumine even more the brightest experience of life.
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