COURAGE and Confidence Keeping Our Spiritual Balance

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20262, 1 June 1940, Page 12

COURAGE and Confidence Keeping Our Spiritual Balance

TF our eyes . .are on the temporary matters of the passing show, we shall lose our spiritual balance and come to grief. These are days when we need to look away to God so that we may be steady and ready to meet whatever we have to face with courage and confidence. Perhaps the following incidents from .the experience of Mildred Cable will illustrate what is meant.'

"An incident of central Asian life came to my mind, recalling an occasion where an Eastern friend, in a few wise words and quite unconsciously, taught me in a parable one of the things which has become basic to my Christian life. “ ‘To-day,’ he said, ‘you will have '.o cross a dangerous river. You Will need to learn how to look over water.’ “ ‘You must learn how to look over water.’ repeated my Chinese friend. “There are men who know this river well,” he continued, ‘and one of them will lead your horse across, but when you reach the middle of- the river, man and even horse may lose their footing, but .there are others near who will come to your rescue; you will certainly get over safely if you remember my instructions—keep your eyes, fixed on the further bank, for safety lies in only seeing the torrent with the unmoving bank as background —if you look down at the swirling water, you may lose your balance and then nothing can: save vou from falling.’ “I started to cross. One man took my horse's bridle and another went ahead, stick in hand, to test , each step and to direct those who came behind. As we reached the middle of the torrent the swirling waters were terrifying. I felt my horse stumble and I thought nothing could save me. In a moment I was looking down into a confusion of eddies and whirlpools which robbed me’ of all sense of direction, but remembering instructions, I tore my .eyes from the water, and looked fixedly at the bank ahead. In a moment I was steady again. “How many have found it true in the tragic experiences of life, ‘When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee and through the rivers, they shall, not overflow thee’!” The Church and Freedom

in modern life. They in turn were dumb. “Only, the church opposed the fight which Hitler was waging against liberty. Until then I had no interest in the church, but now I feel great admiration and am truly attracted to the church, which has had the persistent courage to fight for spiritual truth and moral freedom. I feel obliged to recognise that I now admire what I used to consider of little value.” The Paradox of Ilong Kong In the latest number of the National Geographic is an article on the paradox of Hong Kong. The author describes ancient superstitions side by side with modern science and education. One big confectionery firm (Chinese) had sent their manager to the U.S.A. to purchase the very latest in machinery for manufacturing candy and cakes. They send their cakes to all parts of southern China, and with every package sent out a paper is put in bearing these words (printed in red ink) in four languages—Javanese, Malay, Chinese and English: “Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life; he that cometh to me shall never hiinger, and he .that believeth on me shall never thirst.”—John 6, 35. “We are bakers, not missionaries,” said the manager, Peter Cheung, “but we do scatter that message far and wide.” Once a week the main factory and all the retail stores take an hour off for prayers. The owners of this factory are Christians. Cheung, the manager, also plays the pipe organ in the Chinese Methodist Church, and is one of the best amateur photographers ir. the colony. "The heathen Chinese”! How they same us! A Prayer We do not come so much to ask that Thou wouldst give us anything as that Thou wouldst release into our lives the resources of spiritual power whicli are waiting there. Release our courage. It is covered by timidity.

Here is a translation of what Einstein is reported .to have said, “Having always been an ardent partisan of freedom, I turned to the universities as soon '.as the revolution broke out in Germany, to find there defenders of freedom. I did not Jind them. Very soon the Universities took refuge in silence. “I turned .then to the editors of powerful newspapers,, who, but lately in flowing articles, had claimed to be faithful champions of liberty. These men, as well as the universities, were reduced to silence in a few weeks. “I then addressed myself to the authors individoa'.l v, to those who passed themselves off'as the intellectual guides of Germany, and whom many ha l freouenUy discussed the question of freedom and its-place