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Troublesome
Neighbors
Sometimes an
otherwise pleasant neighborhood will be kept in an uproar
of trouble by a few trouble makers. Human trouble makers
are not to be compared with some other kinds.
I am fortunate enough to have splendid neighbors.
Nevertheless in this good neighborhood there is a great
deal of trouble caused by certain ones. The names of these
trouble makers are not Jones, and Adams, and Thompson, or
anything of that sort. There are three of these families
of trouble makers. Two of them are the 'ifs" and the
"maybes." Not far away live the
"buts," who are close relatives of the others.
Most of these belong to the "doubt" family or to
their close neighbors, the "unwillings."
These "ifs" and "buts" are a numerous
brood. They are quite vocal. They are always ready to make
suggestions to us. They are full of questions. They are
constantly reminding us of the uncertainty of things, and
not infrequently they make them appear much more uncertain
than they really are.
Let me introduce some of the "ifs." Here is one,
"If I were just sure." This one suggests that
you don't really know. You should be a little more
certain. You might make a mistake.
Perhaps you are already acquainted with this one.
It says, "If I were just sure I am saved";
"If I were just sure I am right"; "If I
could know so that I could not question it."
How many times you have been tormented by this bad
neighbor! Perhaps you were satisfied for a time about your
experience, or about other things, but this has been
succeeded by questioning and uncertainty an wondering.
This "if" makes you frequent visits, but i never
a welcome guest. You have to deal with him some way. Are
you able to do so satisfactorily P
Another "if" is, "If I didn't feel
so." Yes, you would like to have pleasant feelings
all the time, but that can not always be. Whenever you
have feelings you dislike or that cause you trouble, this
"if" is ready to suggest that you should not be
too sure of your position. I says you should not undertake
any spiritual work until you feel differently. You agree
with it and say, "If I didn't feel so, then—"
A full brother to this "if" is, "If things
didn't seem so." To be sure things sometimes look out
of proportion. We have feelings that things are not as
they ought to be. We cannot get things to seem right. We
are troubled, restless, and uncertain because of the
trouble this "if" gives us.
The next "ifs" are twins. "If I were not
tempted so," and "If I were not tried so."
Yes, how happy you could be if it were not for these
twins. But they are your close neighbors. They visit you
every now and then. And how tormenting they can be! If you
could move away and leave them you would rejoice. But if
you should move they would move with you. You must always
expect to have them as neighbors, so you must find a nay
of adjusting yourself to them, so that they will not spoil
your happiness or hinder your life.
Another "if" that has brought terror to many a
soul is, "It I am not right." This
"if" can visit you on nearly any occasion. It
has no manners. It may come in the dead of night. It may
come when you are getting along Fell. It may come when you
are having troubles, when you are bothered, tempted, or
not feeling good physically. But whenever it comes it
tends to give you a spiritual shock. It makes you ask the
question, "What if I am mistaken?" or sometimes,
"What if I am deceived?" A great many people
suffer because they fear to be deceived. It is needless to
suffer from such fear. God will not let an honest soul be
deceived with respect to his relations with him. It is
only the ones who will not hare the truth to whom he sends
delusions. It is our privilege to know our situation and
not to worry about being deceived. Sin is deceitful, but
righteousness, never.
Another "if" of the "doubt" family is,
"If God don't—." We must have help from God.
We put our frost in him. But what if he should fail us?
What if his promises should not be fulfilled?
Another "if" is, "if I fail." The
possibility of failure is ever before us and we can let
this "if" be a great barrier to all our efforts
if we will. Another "if" is, "If Satan
should—." Yes, we can imagine many things that he
might do. We can fear him and let this fear become a
bondage. This fear is a troublesome neighbor to many.
Another "if" is, "If
circumstances—." It is always whispering about
things that may happen. It creates foreboding and fears of
the future. These are only a few of the "ifs"
that live close neighbors to many of us.
We now turn our attention to the "but" family
First, "but I." It says, "But I am so
weak." Then it shows all our weakness. It calls our
attention to the] failures of the past. It pictures up how
likely we are] to fail in the future. Yes, we should like
to do this, that, and the other, but "my
weakness!" It also says, "But my ignorance, I do
not know how. If I try I shall only blunder."
There is much being said in psychological circles about
inferiority complexes. There are a great many people who
have a sense of inferiority. They think others can do
things better than they; that others are better than they
are. They think they must always be in the rear of the
procession. They are always minimizing their own abilities
and their various good qualities. "But" is the
favorite word of this inferiority complex. It can always
imagine difficulties that do not exist.
Another of this family is, "But they." It is the
expression of man fear. "But they will say";
"But they will think"; "But they will
do." Many people are held back, and their lives
stunted, by constant fear of what others think, say, or
do.
Another of the family is, "But if." This thing
will happen, that thing will happen, or the other thing
will happen. This obstacle will arise; that difficulty
must be met.
These "buts" and "ifs" and all their
kind have one spokesman for them all that says the final
word. When it is pointed out to us that there are ways to
overcome all these troublesome neighbors, when the victory
way is made clear, when we are exhorted to be free, to be
our real selves, to rise above these things, when our
friends would instill courage into us, then this spokesman
is heard. It is, "Yes, but maybe." It admits all
that has been said, but still it has some additional fears
to bring up.
What will you do with these "buts," these
"ifs," these troublesome neighbors of yours? You
have to do something with them. Sometimes you can ignore
them. At otter times you have to use other methods to
overcome them. Anyway, you must overcome them before you
will have learned the secret of the singing heart. As long
as you are tormented by these you will not feel like
singing. It is possible for you to arrive at the place and
adopt the attitude that will enable you to look all these
"ifs" "d "buts" in the face and
then go unfalteringly on your way heavenward.
You must put them to rout with the sword of faith. You
must shield yourself from their darts when they Assail you
with the shield of faith. The "ifs" and
"buts" are what gives faith its opportunity.
Faith is intended e' en antidote for uncertainty and fear.
It will cure the worst case of it. It will put to flight
all your foes. It will silence your questioning. It will
soothe your fears and quiet your troubled heart. It will
make you conscious of your strength. It will enable you to
overcome your temptations. It will keep you steadfast
through your trials. It will enable you to trust
regardless your feelings. It will give you assurance.
The little girl taught by her teacher in school to
punctuate learned a lesson in natural things that would be
well for us to learn in spiritual things. She cam home and
told her mother what she had learned. He' mother said,
"Indeed, and how did you do it?" "Well
Mamma," said the little girl, "It is just as
easy as can be. If you say a thing is so, you just put a
hatpin after it. But if you are only asking whether it is
so or not' you put a button-hook."
The hatpin, of course, represented a period, and the
buttonhook, an interrogation-mark. I fear some of us have
too great a supply of button-hooks. We are putting them
after too many things. We need a greater supply of
hatpins. Whenever God says anything, whenever he makes us
a promise, be sure you put a hatpin after it. Your
feelings will tell you to use the buttonhook, but it does
not belong there. It belongs after nothing that God says.
So when you go to read your Bible get a handful of
hatpins. After every promise you read put a hatpin. After
everything God says, put a hatpin. Then be sure that later
you do not replace it with a button-hook.
Then, too, we need to put many hatpins after things in our
own life. Say, "God will not fail," then put a
hatpin after it. Say, "I shall not fail," and
the hatpin. Settle things, then put hatpins after them and
never allow yourself to change to button-hooks. God wants
us to be certain.
Faith is not only the antidote for fear and uncertainty.
It is also the preventive of doubt and fear. Faith is the
anchor of the soul. Anchor yourself with it by definitely
exercising it each day.
In you life do what God wants you to do. Do what duty
demands, then make God responsible for the contingencies.
When you work for anyone you obey his instructions, and
then you let him be responsible for the consequences. That
is exactly the way to do with God. Do his will, do your
duty, and then do not be fearful of the consequences. Put
the "ifs" and "buts" to rout. Keep up
your shield of faith, wield your sword of f&ish, and
you will conquer these enemies.
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