The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life for Today by Hannah Whitall Smith
This book was a nice change of pace reading. I found it to be light, easy reading, yet in its simplicity were many profound statements. Ms. Smith gave some very simple suggestions on how to be a happy and fulfilled Christian.
My favorite chapter was the one called, "Difficulties Concerning Temptation." In it, Ms. Smith spoke about how we tend to become easily discouraged after we believe that we have sinned in some small way. Ms. Smith says it is the tendency to think being a Christian means being perfect in your walk at all times. She even applies it to our thoughts, which I really identified with.
Today, I believe Christianity is a way of life. It is not something to be attained, rather it is something to constantly pursue and refine. Along the journey, there will be times where I might become discouraged, impatient, frustrated, or upset with someone or something. Ms. Smith suggests this is actually Satan tempting me to stray from my path by having me believe that there is something fundamentally wrong with me to even have these types of thoughts. I now understand and believe, though, that it is more one day and one choice at a time, and have incorporated Ms. Smith's advice to simply leave the burden at God's feet and ask Him for continued strength to recognize the next temptation. And that is what I will try to do from here on out with my daily struggles.
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