"For whatever was thus written in former days was written
for our instruction, that by our steadfast and patient endurance
and encouragement drawn from the Scriptures we might
hold fast to and cherish hope."
(Romans 15:4)
Troubles may come-troubles will come.
How shall we deal with them when they do come?
I think the Christian treatment of trouble is splendidly illustrated
by the oyster, into whose shell one day there comes a tiny grain of sand.
By some strange circumstance, this tiny piece of quartz has entered into the
shell of an oyster and there, like an alien thing, an intruder, a cruel catastrophe
imposes pain, distress, and presents a very real problem.
What shall the oyster do?
Well, there are several courses open. The oyster could, as so many men and women
have done in times of adversity and trouble, openly rebel against the sovereign
providences of God. The oyster, metaphorically speaking, could shake a fist
in God's face and complain bitterly:
"Why should this have to happen to me?
Why should I suffer so? What have I done to deserve this?"
"With all the billions of oyster shells up and down the seaboard, why in the
name of higher mathematics did this grain of sand have to come into my shell?"
The oyster could conclude:
"There is no justice.
All this talk of a God of love and mercy is not true.
Now since this calamity has overtaken me, I'll throw away
all the faith I ever had. It doesn't do any good anyway."
Yes, the oyster could say that. So many men and women have in
times of trouble. But the oyster doesn't!
Or the oyster could say-again like some men and women
when adversity strikes....
"It can't be true!
It isn't true.
I must not permit myself to believe it."
The oyster could say-as some of our very best people today
are trying to say in the face of cruel circumstances:
"There is no such thing as pain.
This grain of sand doesn't make me uncomfortable
and I'm not going to allow my mind to think of unreality.
There is no such thing as pain.
It is an error of the mind, and I must, therefore, project
my thoughts on positive planes of beauty, truth, goodness
and if I fill my mind with such thoughts, then I shall
know that pain is unreal."
But the oyster doesn't do that.
There is another attitude the oyster could adopt-a very commendable one-
one that calls for a lot of fortitude and courage and determination.
The oyster could say: "Now that this hard calamity has overtaken me,
this thing that hurts and cuts and stabs, this enemy that bruises and bleeds,
now that this has come upon me, I must endure to the end. I must show
that I can take it, and I won't give in. I will hold on if it kills me.
I must remember that the darkest hour is just before the dawn."
Now there is something noble in that, something praiseworthy in
that attitude. But the oyster does not do that, because the oyster is
at one and the same time a realist as well as an idealist.
There is no point in trying to deny the reality that tortures
every nerve, so the oyster doesn't try.
In spite of all the denial, nothing can change the fact that the
grain of sand is there. Nor would grumbling or rebelling do any good,
for after all the protests and complaints, the grain of sand would still be there.
No, the oyster recognizes the presence of the grim intruder, and right
away begins to do something. Slowly and patiently, with infinite care,
the oyster builds upon a grain of sand-layer upon layer- of a plastic,
milky substance that covers each sharp corner and coats every
cutting edge...and gradually...slowly...by and by... a pearl is made...
a thing of wondrous beauty wrapped around trouble.
The oyster has learned-by the will of God- to turn grains of sand into pearls,
cruel misfortunes into blessings...pain and distress, into beauty.
And that is the lesson that we are to learn along this pilgrim's way.
The grace of God, which is sufficient, will enable us to make of
our troubles the pearls they can become.
It is no mere figure of speech. It is something more than a simile
to say one enters Heaven through pearly gates. One enters into the
presence of the Lord through gates bedecked with pearls, and every
pearl-a trouble, a pain, a heartache, a misfortune- which, by the
grace of God, has been changed into a beautiful lovely thing.
No wonder they speak of pearly gates!
PRAYER
Our Father, give us the faith to believe that it is possible for us
to live victoriously even in the midst of dangerous opportunity
that we call crisis. Help us to see that there is something better
than patient endurance or keeping a stiff upper lip, and that
whistling in the dark is not really bravery.
Trusting in Thee, may we have the faith that goes singing
in the rain, knowing that all things work together for good
to them that love Thee.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.
An excerpt from the sermon,
"The Problem With Falling Rocks"
Reverend Peter Marshall Sr.
(1902-1949)
Scots-American preacher
Pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian
Church in Washington DC.
Twice-appointed Chaplain of the United States Senate
"Pearl In An Open Oyster"
Photograph by Jeffrey Coolidge
via Getty Images
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