The Law of Life
Linda Weaver Clarke
August 31, 2006
There is a Law of Life that relates to everyone. This law is something we have no control over, but if we knew the importance of this law, we would accept it more readily. Most laws seem to be for our own good, to protect our rights and our safety. This Law of Life works a little differently. It works at our inner soul, our inner strength, and the goodness within us. It creates the person we should be.
The Law of Life causes us to struggle, to fight for our survival, but we have to look beyond our troubles and stumbling blocks. Every time we fall, we must get back on our feet and start again. Life was not meant to be easy. If it were, then we would never grow and become a better person.
Monte J. Brough said, "Many of the most important principles of intelligence cannot be taught at universities, from books, or through other temporal learning processes. Often these great principles are learned from afflictions, tribulations, and other mortal experiences."
Douglas Malloch wrote:
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out on the open plain
And always got itīs share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Difficulties make us stronger people. Life was not easy for those who were prominent in history. Martin Luther King was a Baptist Minister and a great leader of the American Civil Rights Union. He was a peacemaker, campaigning for racial equality and did not condone violence. He had to struggle for equality, for human rights that were held back unlawfully. Because of his efforts, King received the Nobel Peace Prize and after his death was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "I have a dream " was one of the greatest speeches in American history. Another great leader who believed in equality was George Washington. He had to fight for liberty, leading a group of men who knew nothing about war and fighting. For eight long years, he valiantly led the patriots through many hardships and tragedies before he became the first president of the United States.
Helen Keller was a deaf-blind American author, activist, suffragist, and lecturer. She graduated from Radcliffe College magna cum laude, the first deaf-blind person to graduate. She eventually became a world-famous speaker. She had everything against her from birth, but she fought to come out of her quiet and lonely world. She succeeded.
The poem of the struggling tree continues on, teaching us a valuable lesson, one that gives us wisdom through struggles.
Good Timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger the wind the stronger the trees.
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold council with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife:
This is the common Law of Life.
Douglas Malloch
The greater the storm, the more we tend to struggle and seek protection from the wind and rain. Itīs only natural. But where do we seek that protection and why? George Washington said, "It is the duty of nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor."
We must rise above our problems, become humble, and continue on. Thatīs where the line is drawn between those who give up and decide that itīs not really worth it and those who have faith in themselves and faith in a loving God.
Spencer W. Kimball, a great religious leader, once said, "Is there not wisdom in God giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrow to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience?"
In my book, "Melinda and the Wild West," a historical fiction love story, I chose to give my heroine many trials to overcome. I wanted her to grow and become a better person through her problems. Melinda is a new schoolteacher and has to deal with a problem child that needs love and understanding, one that was labeled as a "trouble-maker" by her peers. As she experiences each trial, she grows and becomes a stronger person. She has to endure problems that she is not familiar with, things that are disconcerting to her. Melinda does not fold and decide to give up, but through faith and perseverance, she endures and becomes a better teacher and helps her students to accept and love this troubled child.
Whether in a story or reality, trials are a part of life. And if they endure to the end, then we cheer for the hero and heroine who accomplish their goals. Itīs the Law of Life.
Written by Linda Weaver Clarke, author of the historical/fiction/romance series: "A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho." To learn more, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.
The Law of Life causes us to struggle, to fight for our survival, but we have to look beyond our troubles and stumbling blocks. Every time we fall, we must get back on our feet and start again. Life was not meant to be easy. If it were, then we would never grow and become a better person.
Monte J. Brough said, "Many of the most important principles of intelligence cannot be taught at universities, from books, or through other temporal learning processes. Often these great principles are learned from afflictions, tribulations, and other mortal experiences."
Douglas Malloch wrote:
The tree that never had to fight
For sun and sky and air and light,
But stood out on the open plain
And always got itīs share of rain,
Never became a forest king
But lived and died a scrubby thing.
The man who never had to toil
To gain and farm his patch of soil,
Who never had to win his share
Of sun and sky and light and air,
Never became a manly man
But lived and died as he began.
Difficulties make us stronger people. Life was not easy for those who were prominent in history. Martin Luther King was a Baptist Minister and a great leader of the American Civil Rights Union. He was a peacemaker, campaigning for racial equality and did not condone violence. He had to struggle for equality, for human rights that were held back unlawfully. Because of his efforts, King received the Nobel Peace Prize and after his death was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. "I have a dream " was one of the greatest speeches in American history. Another great leader who believed in equality was George Washington. He had to fight for liberty, leading a group of men who knew nothing about war and fighting. For eight long years, he valiantly led the patriots through many hardships and tragedies before he became the first president of the United States.
Helen Keller was a deaf-blind American author, activist, suffragist, and lecturer. She graduated from Radcliffe College magna cum laude, the first deaf-blind person to graduate. She eventually became a world-famous speaker. She had everything against her from birth, but she fought to come out of her quiet and lonely world. She succeeded.
The poem of the struggling tree continues on, teaching us a valuable lesson, one that gives us wisdom through struggles.
Good Timber does not grow with ease,
The stronger the wind the stronger the trees.
The further sky, the greater length,
The more the storm, the more the strength.
By sun and cold, by rain and snow,
In trees and men good timbers grow.
Where thickest lies the forest growth
We find the patriarchs of both.
And they hold council with the stars
Whose broken branches show the scars
Of many winds and much of strife:
This is the common Law of Life.
Douglas Malloch
The greater the storm, the more we tend to struggle and seek protection from the wind and rain. Itīs only natural. But where do we seek that protection and why? George Washington said, "It is the duty of nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor."
We must rise above our problems, become humble, and continue on. Thatīs where the line is drawn between those who give up and decide that itīs not really worth it and those who have faith in themselves and faith in a loving God.
Spencer W. Kimball, a great religious leader, once said, "Is there not wisdom in God giving us trials that we might rise above them, responsibilities that we might achieve, work to harden our muscles, sorrow to try our souls? Are we not exposed to temptations to test our strength, sickness that we might learn patience?"
In my book, "Melinda and the Wild West," a historical fiction love story, I chose to give my heroine many trials to overcome. I wanted her to grow and become a better person through her problems. Melinda is a new schoolteacher and has to deal with a problem child that needs love and understanding, one that was labeled as a "trouble-maker" by her peers. As she experiences each trial, she grows and becomes a stronger person. She has to endure problems that she is not familiar with, things that are disconcerting to her. Melinda does not fold and decide to give up, but through faith and perseverance, she endures and becomes a better teacher and helps her students to accept and love this troubled child.
Whether in a story or reality, trials are a part of life. And if they endure to the end, then we cheer for the hero and heroine who accomplish their goals. Itīs the Law of Life.
Written by Linda Weaver Clarke, author of the historical/fiction/romance series: "A Family Saga in Bear Lake, Idaho." To learn more, visit www.lindaweaverclarke.com.