For the Christian, all of life’s conditions and circumstances are transformed.
Take the matter of CARE. Every life has “cares.” There are cares in business. There are cares in home-life. There are cares of poverty–but no less has the rich man his cares. Childhood has its anxieties; young faces sometimes appear careworn. No one can escape care!
To many people–life is very hard. But Christian faith transfigures care, for those who are Christ’s and have learned how to live as He teaches us to live. He tells us not to worry about anything, because our Father is caring for us. He tells us that life is a school, and that all our cares are parts of lessons which He has set for us. That means that every care has hidden in it–a secret of blessing–a gift of love which our Father has sent to us. Every time you come to a hard point in your life–an obstacle, a difficulty, a perplexity–God is giving you a new opportunity to grow stronger, wiser, or richer-hearted.
We try to make life easy for our children–but God is wiser than we are. He wants His children to have struggles–that they may grow strong, holy and noble!
Thus it is that common care is transfigured by the grace of Christ! It enfolds blessings for us. It carries in its ‘dreary form’ secrets of blessing for us. Even our ‘drudgeries’ have blessings in their wearisome routine; we get many of our best lessons out of them.
All we need to learn is how to meet our worries, and they are transfigured for us! Paul tells us in a wonderful passage how to get this transformation of care:
Do not worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7.
God’s peace will then shine through all life’s frets. Thus care is transfigured, by the love of Christ in the heart.
~ J. R. Miller, “Life’s Byways and Waysides”
James Russell Miller (March 20, 1840 – July 2, 1912)
was a popular and prolific Christian author.