Is life worth living? To have known one friend
Whose loyalty is certain as the sun;
Or to have known a single pure love thrill–
Such thrills as come when two souls join in one–
Which of all these is not enough to make
Man say, “I’m glad I lived,” when life is done?
The loneliness from grief has gone away
Since now its coming brings thee to my side;
And pain its sternest secrets seems to hide,
And doubt to vanish, if thou wilt but stay.
We speak of certain religious exercises as means of grace. Prayer is one of these. When we pray we stand in the very presence of God. We do not see any form, but faith makes us conscious of the shining of his face, and we cannot but be affected. We read of Moses that when he had been long in the mountain with God and then came back to the people, the skin of his face shone. In one of the Psalms it is said that God’s people looked unto him and were radiant. Being with God makes us like God. The Bible also is a means of grace. As we read its words and think upon them their revealings, their counsels, and commands, their promises and comforts bring the life of God himself into contact with our lives, and we are helped, quickened, strengthened, and made better. Whatever in our experiences brings us under the influence of God and leads us into holier life is a means of grace to us. This is the meaning of Christian worship. More than we realize, people also are means of grace to us. We get our best lessons from men; we are most deeply influenced by our contacts with them. “Evil companionships corrupt good morals.” We know how being with good people in intimate relations makes us better.
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