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It
was a cold winter morning. Snow covered the
ground. The frost on the trees sparked in the
brightness outside seemed to find no reflection
in me. I had been confined t my bed for more
than six months. I was gloomy and despondent. It
seemed as though all the light and joy had gone
out of my life and that the only pain and
suffering and sorrow were left to me. I had no
desire to live. Again and again I prayed that I
might die. I should have welcomed any form of
death, even the most horrible. I have grown
morbid, and almost despaired. I had been prayed
for again and again, but the healing touch came
not. Life seemed to hold for me no ray of hope,
no gleam of sunshine.
As I
lay brooding in my melancholy state, a red
grosbeak, with his bright red plumage, alighted
on a tree a few feet from my window. His eyes
sparkled as he gazed with me with interest. He
turned his head now this way and now that,
apparently studying me intently, and then gave
mea cheery call and hopped as near to me as he
could get and repeated his cries over and over.
Somehow his cries took the form of words in my
mind. This is what he said to me: "You, you,
you, cheer up, cheer up, cheer up." He hopped
about from limb to limb, wiping his beak,
picking at pieces of bark, but ever and anon
hopping back to look at me and cry again. "Cheer
up, cheer up, cheer up." This he did for a long
time, then he flew away, only to return soon and
to peer at me again, crying his merry "You, you,
you, cheer up, cheer up, cheer up. " for more
than two hours he continued to repeat this and
then went away, and far in the distance I heard
the last echoes of his notes still saying,
"Cheer up, cheer up."
It
seemed as though God had sent the bird to bring
a message to my souls; and as I thought of the
cold and the snow and the winter winds, of the
bird's uncertain supply of food, of his many
enemies, and considered that, in spite of all
this, he could be so cheerful and gay, it made
me feel ashamed that I should be so melancholy
and despondent. His message, enforced by his
example, sank into my heart. I began to think
over the favorable side of my situation. I began
to consider how many things the Lord had
bestowed upon me in the past-his mercy, his
kindness, and his blessings. My heart took
courage, hope began to lift herself up from the
dust. I reflected over the way I had yielded to
discouragement. I saw that if I was ever to rise
above it I must set myself resolutely to the
task of looking upon the bright side and of
overcoming the gloom and heaviness. The message
of the bird made me ashamed to submit longer to
my feelings. I resolved then and there that I
would be different. And from that day I began to
act and think and speak more cheerfully. Many
times I had to act contrary to the way I felt,
but I found out that this was having an
influences upon my feelings, and the more I
practised being cheerful the more cheerful I
became. Many times I have been sorely pressed
down in spirit, but I have found that I can act
cheerfully and talk cheerfully even in the midst
of depression, and that this is not hypocrisy,
but the true way in which to meet such things
and conquer them.
Cheerfulness is largely a
matter of habit. We must do one of two
things-either yield to our feelings and let them
be our master or compel our feelings to yield to
us that we may be their master. It is a case of
conquering and being conquered. So many persons
are at the mercy of their emotions. If they do
not feel well in body, or their mind is
troubled, or their spiritual sky is clouded,
they yield themselves to gloomy thoughts and
look upon the dark side of the picture. Their
thoughts and feelings are reflected in their
faces and actions and words. This, in turn
reacts upon them, and they then feel worse in
body and mind. Everyone around them knows how
they feel. This is putting a premium on your bad
feelings. It is encouraging them. And it is very
bad habit. You can be cheerful if you will. Do
not wear your troubles on your face. Do not let
them put a note of sadness in your voice. Cease
your sighing: you are only adding to your
burdens. Take the bird's advice and cheer up.
You can if you will. You can hide your burdens
instead of advertising them. To hide them will
help you to forget them. You have a place to put
your burdens-"Casting all your care upon Him."
I
still suffer; I still have periods of mental
depression; but I have learned to be cheerful
and not let these things be on exhibitions. I
find it now the easier, and by far the better
way. Cheerfulness is a habit; get the habit. It
depends upon you, not upon your circumstances.
You can rule your circumstances instead of
letting them rule you. Take hold of your bad
feelings with a will and conquer them with
cheerfulness. The task may not be easy at first,
but keep at it and you will win. Do not despair
if you lose a few battles. You may have
cultivated glom for so long a time that it has
become the fixed state of your mind. Overcome
the habit. God will help you. When your feelings
become gloomy, say, "I will not be so," and
force your mind into other channels. It will
want to go back to its former habit, but as
often as you catch yourself thinking along
gloomy lines turn your thoughts back to the
sunshine. Put good cheer into your voice and a
smile on your face, no matter how you feel. It
will prove a tonic for soul, mind, and body.
Listen to the redbird. Hear hie merry, "Cheer
up, cheer up, " and act upon his advice. You
will find it worth while.
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