Lord. I know I love Him and I am trying to obey Him, but I believe if
there is one place on the earth He loves next to the gates of Zion,
it is a happy home, and that He smiles upon us in all our innocent
efforts to make it so.

"You were surprised that I did not say right off, 'Pray over your
troubles,' weren't you? No, no! I believe we have got to take
everything out of our way that hinders us before we come and ask him
to do some great thing for us. You must lay aside the 'weight,' and
the temptations to the 'sin that doth so easily beset us,' then He
will do his part. It isn't his way to do for us what we can do. Now
if you load yourself down with burdens that He did not ask you to
carry, I don't believe you will have the same grace given you to
overcome that a poverty-stricken mother of a large family has given
to her; grace is bestowed according to our need."

"Yes," said Mrs. Murray, "it is all true. But suppose I do all these
things that you suggest. I can't expect to be entirely free from all
provocations to anger while I live in this world. What is there in
all this that will help me to control my temper? I declare to you,
Aunt Deborah, I cannot do it. I have no hope that I can ever be
different. I know myself so well."

"Praise the Lord that you know that," said the old lady. "He says,
'In me is thy help found.' Not a soul of us comes to him for help
till we have made this discovery, 'I cannot do it.' When your watch
is out of order you do not expect it to right itself; you take it to
the watchmaker. Now lay your heart down before Jesus, and say, Lord
won't you fix it for me? As you trust the watchmaker, trust Him."