House of Love

One of my very favorite books is a sweet story of good verses evil, written in the early 1900s by Elizabeth Cheney. In it, the orphan heroine, named Doris, is purchased by Mrs. Wilde–a farmer’s wife–to help her with chores and housework and to wait on her treasured, spoiled daughter of the same age. Aurelia, the aforementioned daughter, and Mrs. Wilde are both very cruel toward Doris, who is forced to work very hard all day long with no thanks or comfort. Poor Doris is not sure what to think of all of this, but she remembers what her mother taught her not so very long ago: the Father’s house is a House of Love, and we shall go no more out. Doris daily reads the little Bible that belonged to her mother and draws great comfort from its pages. Her childlike faith in her Father’s love upholds her during the long, dreary days of work, and soon, things in her life begin to change for the better, albeit very slowly at first. (I won’t tell you the rest of the story, but I encourage you to look it up! It is well worth the read; you can purchase it through Lamplighter publishing.)

I love a quote from Doris about midway through the book, when she has just discovered that Aurelia is being spoiled by her mother with something Doris dearly wishes she could have. Yet, Doris is not jealous or resentful, for she knows a precious truth: in the House of Love … you get just everything there is for you: and if you don’t get what you want, it is because it isn’t yours, and there’s something just exactly as good that is yours.

This quote came to mind as I listened to my pastor’s sermon last night. Brought to us from Proverbs, the sermon’s topic was the contrast between the good and the wicked. My pastor highlighted the truth that God allows similar circumstances into the lives of both saved and unsaved people. When these are good circumstances, Christians aren’t usually tempted to complain, because they see God’s hand of blessing. But when circumstances turn sour for the righteous yet remain calm and rosy for those who do not follow God, Christians may question the disparity. Why does God allow bad things to happen to good people?

God gave my pastor the wisdom to interpret our Proverbs passage this way: both good and bad people go through good and bad things. The difference is what they learn from their circumstances and their response to this new knowledge. The unbeliever may see a negative circumstance as bad luck or a sordid twist of fate. For a faith-filled Christian, however, a trial does not have to be seen negatively; rather, its outcome can be glorious because of the truth internalized and applied during its midst.

Doris learned the secret joy of trials in the book House of Love, and she was greatly blessed as a result. I wonder how our lives as Christians would change if we internalized this sorrow-turned-to-joy mentality as well? Would our weakest moments begin to become paths to glory? Would our ways become smooth as we looked to God for lessons in our trials rather than immediate deliverance from pain? Would we grow to treasure the secrets learned in suffering?

In my own life, I have come to embrace certain trials that I previously begged deliverance from with open arms. I can’t say that I would want to go through these hard times again, but I wouldn’t trade what I learned through them for anything. Indeed, the high points in my spiritual growth and relationship with God can be traced traced back to the trails of tears that my trials left behind.

Where are you today, friend? Is your current circumstance a trial or a blessing? If it is a blessing, please praise God for His hand of mercy and grace so richly stretched out to you. Our God deserves our highest praise! But if your path is a long and lonely one today, I encourage you to cling to the God Who will never leave you alone even in your deepest pain. Even if you can’t feel Him or hear His voice, He is there, His eyes of love beaming with affection for you, and His heart ready to heap blessings upon you once the lesson of your trial is learned, embraced, and applied. Be a good student, and cooperate with your Teacher. The lessons you will learn are priceless and difference-for-eternity-making! Our Father’s house is a House of Love, and if we will continue on with Him even during the hardest times, we will discover riches that could only have come from His loving hand.