Chapter 13

Life Without Strain I

WE often meet with good Christian people who are obviously bearing, or are trying to bear, all the troubles of the world on their own shoulders. Indeed, we, ourselves, may be more or less prone to the same weakness. The strain of bearing the burden of the whole world, or even of our own work, or the duties and responsibilities of life, is enormous, yet totally unnecessary.

Whether we are crushed to earth and worn out by the responsibilities of life, or are but little affected by them, depends entirely on our point of view. If we look at life as something that is evil, or that is always liable to go wrong, and which can be kept right only by our constant unwearying attention and care, anxiety, and strain, our burden becomes too great, almost, to be borne. But this is an entirely wrong idea of life. Life is not something evil, neither is it liable to go wrong at any time if we do not prevent it by strain and effort. Life is just the reverse of this. Life is good: it is the outcome of Love, and as always trying to bring good to us, if we will only allow it to do so.

Countless thousands must have worried themselves into their graves through this misunder- standing about life. Having read evil into everything, they expect evil to come to them, and what they have expected has come upon them. Fearing calamities at every turn of the road, they have suffered as much as they would have done if the calamities had really appeared, or even more so, for suspense is harder to bear than the actual calamity itself. Oh, the worry and the strain of life when it is looked at from the wrong angle!

Again, when disciplinary experiences come to such as we have been describing— for we all must have our griefs, sorrows, and dark times—when these come, they are met as evil happenings and fought and resisted tooth and nail. Oh, the strain and the suffering experienced by those who cannot say “Thy Will be done”!

Resistance and tension are the cause of strain. Most people today are suffering from strain. Christians and non-Christians, religious and irreligious, alike. Yet the Christian should never suffer from strain. Our Lord’s teaching, if rightly apprehended, does away with strain. Christ’s teaching is in perfect harmony and agreement with modern science. The latter teaches those suffering from nervous strain to relax instead of to resist. For instance, a nervous person may suffer horribly because of a certain noise. He is now taught to relax to the cause of annoyance instead of resisting it. When he does so his suffering ceases. Christ taught trust and rest in the love of the Father. He tells us to take no anxious thought about the morrow, neither to be anxious about supply of the necessary and good things of life. Why does our Lord speak thus? Simply because He knows that all is well, in reality, and that everything works together for good if we will only allow it to do so. The Divine Order is inherent, but we do not let it manifest itself because of our strained and anxious thought.

It must not be imagined, however, that being care-free, and relaxed, and without strain, is being careless and slothful. Letting things drift only makes matters worse. Refusing to face the difficulties of life leads only to great troubles. We have to meet our difficulties boldly, and then find ease and rest in God. When we do this systematically, Divine Guidance becomes ours, and everything works together for good in a wonderful manner.

Students should affirm in the face of seeming calamity, disaster, or trouble, that because God is the One Source of all, therefore nothing but good can come to them. Then go forward, meeting the trouble willingly and without resistance. When we cease to resist, the strain disappears.