i went to see a wise old man and he was very
kind what is life's greatest gift i asked and
he answered peace of mind when i met a great
physician i was quite surprised to find that
he thought the finest medicine was simply peace
of mind And so I pass this on to friends who
would leave all gloom behind. The key to life's
great mystery consists of peace of mind. And
the only one who can give the peace that passeth
all understanding is Jesus Christ himself. You
and I have been having some good heart -to -heart
talks. Well, anyway, I enjoyed them. You know,
sometimes after I finished a sermon and I walk
off of the platform, I think, well, if nobody
else enjoyed the service today, I sure did. You
know, it's kind of like that. And so I guess.
That's the reason why way back there I started
calling these little times of fellowship that
you and I have together just heart -to -heart
talks. Yes. It's, um, I'm talking to myself.
And, uh, you see, I preach to myself. I do everything
in the world to put into practice everything
that I talk to you about. It's just like that.
And one thing that I have found out a long time
ago, and that is the fact that the Christian
way is the natural, the normal way of living.
And it's just like that. And all on earth that
I'm trying to do in these down -to -earth talks
is just teaching you how to live. I told you
the other day that in this generation, I've come
to the conclusion that we know all there is about
life. Take a youngster, take a child, 12 years
of age. You'd be amazed. You would be awed when
you fully realized how much that youngster knows
about life. And yet, with all of our knowledge
regarding life, we know everything about it except
how to live it. And so we continue just discussing
this thing. regarding how to live. There are
more folk worrying about their nerves. There
are more folk on the very borderline of a nervous
breakdown. There are more folk who are taking
tranquilizers. Some are taking pills to sleep.
Others are taking pills to keep awake. Some are
taking pills to relax. Some, well, we are living
in a pill generation. A pill for this and a pill
for that until we're just pill to death. Let's
go back. use some good old -fashioned common
sense along with a simple trust and confidence
in Almighty God, and after all is said and done,
all we need is peace of mind and peace of soul,
and He's the one who can give that. I told you,
you know, the three rules for a poised life.
And I believe that if you can honestly... Live
according to these three simple rules. You'll
never have to worry about a nervous breakdown.
You'll never have to get your prescriptions filled
for your nerves. Oh, sure. All right, the first.
And we discuss this briefly in our last Heart
to Heart Talk. Get the right mental picture of
your own life. And when you get the right mental
picture of your own life, you're going to be
surprised how differently the whole world will
look to you. You know, most of us have a distorted
view. Most of us think of ourselves as being
hemmed in. by a vicious circle of impossible
demands. From every side we see tasks and burdens
and problems and responsibilities rushing at
us. Oh, there's so much confusion and it isn't
long before we find ourselves frustrated. Every
moment we have a dozen things to do. I find myself
caught up in that vicious circle. The cruel pressure
that never relaxes. You know exactly what I'm
talking about. That pressure, that pressure from
the time that we awaken in the morning until
we go to sleep at night. That terrific pressure.
And not any one of us can relax under this pressure.
We're always overburdened. We're always overtired.
You know exactly what I'm talking about. Mm -hmm.
I suggested the other day that we think of our
life as an hourglass. Our problems must be single
file. That's what the Bible talks about when
it says sufficient... Unto the day is the evil
thereof, one day at a time. Life is a book in
volumes three, the past, the present, the yet
to be. The first we've read and we've laid away.
The second we're reading day by day. The third
and last of volumes three is hidden from view.
God. holds that key. Remember that. Just remember
that. Oh, sure. Now we come to the second thing
that is most important. Scale down the demands
that you are making on other people. You may
not realize that for years you have been making
demands on those around about you. You may be
a mother in the home. You may be the husband,
the head of the household. A son. You may be
the employer. You may be the employee. You have
not been... are the demands that you are not
only making on yourself, but on other people.
Children make this demand openly. We as adults
make it in secret ways, but all of us make it.
We wait for applause. We seek approbation. We
seek praise for every little... thing that we
do. After we've done it, we stand around and
we wait for somebody to pat us on the head or
pat us on the back or shake our hand and say,
oh, that's great. We're anxious to know what
people will say about it. We think that surely
someone will observe how skillful we really are.
We live our lives. demanding expressions of gratitude
from the individuals that we help. We wonder
how soon they're going to notice us, how soon
we're going to receive thanks, gratitude. Yeah.
Oh, my friend, I repeat. You'll save yourself
an awful lot of wear and tear on yourself if
you'll just scale down the demands that you're
making on other people. Forget each kindness
that you do as soon as it is done. Forget the
praise that falls to you the moment. It is one.
Forget the slander that you hear before you repeat
it. So get each spite, each slight, each sneer,
wherever you may meet it. Remember each kindness
done for you, whatever may be its measure. Remember...
Praise by others one and pass it on with pleasure.
Remember every promise made and keep it to the
letter. Remember those who lend you aid and be
a grateful debtor. Remember all the happiness
that comes your way in living and then forget
each worry and distress. Be hopeful and forgiving.
Remember good. Remember truth. Remember heavens
above you. And you'll find through age and youth
that many hearts will love you. It works. A really
great person. big person, a mature person, has
learned to forget and remember. But wisdom, true
wisdom, is knowing what to forget and what to
remember. All right? Here comes the third thing.
Are you still with me? Oh, you know, there are
those who will listen to me. This is just some
good old Missouri cornbread. It doesn't have
the butter on it today. It doesn't even have
the molasses. It's just good old -fashioned cornbread.
But there are some people who really cannot see.
any of these faults in themselves. Even when
I'm speaking, if somebody said, yes, ma 'am,
that's Mrs. Borkstedt. I hope she has a radio
on. I hope she's listening. Somebody else says,
now, I hope Sarah is hearing this. This would
be so good for her. Right now, you forget about
Sarah. And Ethel and Kim. Look yourself directly
in the face. At any cost, keep your world from
growing small. And this is especially important
to people who are approaching middle life. It's
so easy. To grow small in your thinking, small
in your living, small in your ideas. As someone
wrote regarding a certain character in his book,
Edith was a little country bounded on the north
and south and east and west by Edith. Uh -huh.
You know, some of us let our world shrink so
that presently we find ourselves literally living
in a miserably restricted area, surrounded only
by our own feelings and our own interests. And
so few people realize what's happening to them.
So very few people. And when... Ever one's world
becomes limited, becomes small, it is long before
we resort to self -pity. If when your husband
comes home at night, comes home from work, he's
tired, he doesn't want to hear all about what
the neighbors are doing. It's a small talk to
him. He doesn't care that when Lily came over
and borrowed a cup of sugar, that she stayed
for at least two hours and gave you all the gossip
in the neighborhood. And then when your husband
comes home, immediately you'll say, Lily came
over today and this is what she said. You know,
Mrs. So -and -so bought a brand new sewing machine.
And the salesman is a relative of hers. And she
just put the down payment on it. And they want
to act so smart. They want to act so big. And,
you know, now your husband is tired. And he'll
say, honey, let's just be quiet a little bit
and relax. And immediately there's self -pity.
He's doing this to me. Here I've been at home
all day. I haven't had anybody to talk to. Just
the children. And it isn't long before you're
in tears. Forget the smallness of your world.
And... Don't let it become your master whatever
you do. If you will permit your small world to
become your master and you're mastered by it,
it isn't long before you will have resulted to
self -pity. And do not permit yourself to accept
pity either from yourself or from any other man.
Self -pity is the most dangerous form of emotional
charity. It may seem to comfort you at the time,
but beware of such comfort. It'll turn you into
a spiritual bum, a whiny weakling, ever on the
watch for handouts. It does not matter what fate
has done to you. You will be crippled in body.
broken financially, cheated, despoiled by life,
robbed by death of the thing that was dearest
to you. Still within you, there will remain something
that is unbeaten, something that may inspire
respect and command service. And still, no matter
what happens to you, you can come back if you
don't take step. pity if your world has not become
small. Think big. Forgive big. Act big. The one
who controls you is big. God almighty. May your
thinking, may your world may your living be as
big as god himself oh sure ah it matters not
how straight the gate how charged with punishments
the scroll in a real sense and the master of
my fate and the captain of My soul, I know those
are noble words. Make them your words. Stand
up straight in your rags. Stand unquivering in
your wounds. God alone knows what's around the
corner. God alone knows if there is a corner.
or if there is anything around that corner. But
this moment is yours. Your life is yours. Make
it big. Live a full life. Whatever you do, my
friend, whatever you do, at any cost, keep your
world keep your thoughts keep your life from
growing small