LIGHT ON LIFE’S DIFFICULTIES/PART 23
23.
The Light That Never Goes Out
AMID
THE MULTITUDE of conflicting opinions and theories, and caught in the struggle
of existence, whither shall the confused truth-seeker turn to find the path
that leads to peace unending? To what refuge shall he fly from the
uncertainties and sorrows of change?
Will
he find peace in pleasure? Pleasure has its place, and in its place it is good;
but as an end, as a refuge, it affords no shelter. He who seeks it as such does
but increase the anguish of life; for what is more fleeting than pleasure, and
what is more empty than the heart that seeks satisfaction in so ephemeral a
thing? There is, therefore, no abiding refuge in pleasure.
Will
he find peace in wealth and worldly success?
Wealth
and worldly success have their place, but they are fickle and uncertain
possessions, and he who seeks them for themselves alone will be burdened with
many anxieties and cares. When the storms of adversity sweep over his
glittering yet frail habitation, he will find himself helpless and exposed. But
even should he maintain such possessions throughout life, what satisfaction
will they afford him in the hour of death? There is no abiding refuge in wealth
and worldly success.
Will
he find peace in health? Health has its place, and it should not be thrown away
or despised, but it belongs to the body which is destined for dissolution, and
is therefore perishable. Even should health be maintained for a hundred years,
the time will come when the physical energies will decline and debility and
decay will overtake them. There is no abiding refuge in health.
Will
he find refuge in those whom he dearly loves? Those whom he loves have their
place in his life. They afford him means of practicing unselfishness, and
thereby arriving at Truth. He should cherish them with loving care, and
consider their needs before his own. But the time will come when they will be
separated from him, and he will be left alone.
There
is no abiding refuge in loved ones.
Will
he find peace in this Scripture or that? Scripture fills an important place. As
a guide it is good, but it cannot be a refuge, for one may know the Scripture
by heart, and yet be in sore conflict and unrest. The theories of men are
subject to successive changes, and no limit can be set to the variety of
textual interpretations. There is no abiding refuge in Scripture.
Will
he find rest in this teacher or that? The teacher has his place, and as an
instructor he renders good service. But teachers are numerous, and their
differences are many. Though one may regard his particular teacher as in
possession of the Truth, that teacher will one day be taken from him. There is
no abiding refuge in a teacher.
Will
he find peace in solitude? Solitude is good and necessary in its place, but he
who courts it as a lasting refuge will be like one perishing of thirst in a
waterless desert. He will escape men and the turmoil of the city, but he will
not escape himself and the unrest of the heart. There is no abiding rest in
solitude.
If,
then, the seeker can find no refuge in pleasure, in success, in health, in
family and friends, in Scripture, in the teacher, or in solitude, whither shall
he turn to find that sanctuary which shall afford abiding peace?
Let
him take refuge in righteousness. Let him fly to the sanctuary of a purified
heart. Let him enter the pathway of a blameless, stainless life, and walk it
meekly and patiently until it brings him to the eternal temple of Truth in his
own heart.
He
who has taken refuge in Truth, even in the habitation of a wise understanding
and a loving and steadfast heart, is the same whether in pleasure or pain;
wealth or poverty; success or failure; health or sickness; with friends or
without; in solitude or noisy haunts; and he is independent of bibles and
teachers, for the spirit of Truth instructs him. He perceives without fear or
sorrow the change and decay which are in all things. He has found peace; he has
entered the abiding sanctuary; he knows the Light that will never go out.
END
OF THIS BOOK.
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