Changing Discontent to Delight

By Mary Wilder Tileston


I delight to do Thy will, 0 my God; yea, Thy law is within my heart.
PSALMS 40:8

CROWN us with love, and so with peace;

Transfigure duty to delight;

Our lips inspire, our faith increase,

Brighten with hope our darkest night.

Bring us from earthly bondage free

To find our heaven in serving Thee.
HENRY WILDER FOOTE

WE often make our duties harder by thinking them hard. We dwell on the things we do not like till they grow before our eyes, and, at last, perhaps shut out heaven itself. But this is not following our Master, and He, we may be sure, will value little the obedience of a discontented heart. The moment we see that anything to be done is a plain duty, we must resolutely trample out every rising impulse of discontent. We must not merely prevent our discontent from interfering, with the duty itself; we must not merely prevent it from breaking out into murmuring; we must get rid of the discontent itself. Cheerfulness in the service of Christ is one of the first requisites to make that service Christian.
FREDERICK TEMPLE