“That is a fine watch you have there,” said a man to his friend. “I suppose it keeps good time.”
“Yes,” was the reply, “it is adjusted to heat, cold and position. I find it very reliable.”
Advertisements in papers and magazines have shown a watch solidly frozen in a large block of ice, with the information that that type of watch is so adjusted that it will keep the correct time even when frozen.
People need adjusting too. Many people say: “Oh, if my circumstances were different. If the influences around me were different — then I would be so different from what I am.”
If we wait for the world to be made over, then we shall never become what we desire to be, nor live the kind of lives we desire to live. Whatever we become, we must become in the face of all these things and in spite of them.
A wise old gentleman, giving advice to a young man, said: “You must remember that this world is pretty much made already. Success consists in adjustment. Don’t try to remake your world — adjust yourself to the situation. Make the best of what you have where you are.”
A poet has pressed the same thought in these lines:
The world will never adjust itself,
To suit your whims to the letter.
Some things will go wrong
Your whole life long,
And the sooner you know it, the better.
There will always be things working to hinder us, to disturb our calculations, to overthrow our plans, to heap obstacles in our way, and to discourage us if we will let them. It is persistence in the face of such things that brings success. Almost any cheap watch will run pretty well under favorable circumstances, but that fact does not make it of real value. Just when it is most needed, it may fail; for circumstances cannot always be favorable, even to a watch. The qualities in the watch that make it run right under unfavorable circumstances are what make it valuable.
It is just the same with men and women: the qualities that enable them to adjust themselves to their circumstances and be a success, even when things are unfavorable — are the things in their characters that are really worthwhile.
Many people say, “It is of no use for me to try to live a Christian life under my present circumstances. I must wait until there is a change of my situation.”
Other people are living Christian lives under similar conditions. If you cannot be a success, then perhaps the trouble is in you, not in your circumstances. “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God” (2 Corinthians 3:5). The grace of God will enable us to adjust ourselves so that in any situation, we can live acceptably to God.
There is no use of whining and complaining and saying, “I can’t.” There is no use of looking forward to the future and hoping for a better time. Right now is the time to win or lose. “My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9). God says His grace is sufficient, and it is. You may have abundance of it if you will, and by His help you can conquer every circumstance. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:13).
Charles Wesley Naylor is considered one of the most prolific and inspiring songwriters of the Church of God. He was bedridden for much of his adult life but wrote eight books, a newspaper column and more than 150 songs. Many of his writings are in the public domain.
