Never allow yourself to fret over anything. Fretting never helps. It
always hinders. Learn to commit these things to God. Cast your burdens
upon him--and do not try to bear his burdens. Learn to be happy in spite of
your difficulties. Keep your own soul-life separated from these
troublesome things. God will help you, and you can make a success. He
commands you not to fret, and he will give you grace to keep from doing
it.

TALK THIRTY-ONE. BEING EASILY ENTREATED

Not long since I saw in the report of a meeting a statement something like
this: "The brethren were easily entreated, and so all personal
difficulties were easily settled." One of the greatest problems that
ministers meet and one that requires the most patience and wisdom is the
problem of settling personal difficulties. These difficulties are often
found existing between those professing to be Christians. And sometimes
they are very hard to get settled. There is just one reason for this:
those involved are not "easy to be entreated." James tells us that this is
a quality of that "wisdom that is from above." The quality of being easily
entreated is a mark of true piety and of a Christlike spirit. Where it is
wanting, spirituality is always below normal. It is not hard to settle
troubles if people want to have them settled; for if they really want them
settled, they are willing to settle them the right way. Peace and harmony
mean more to them than any other consideration, except truth. Division and
discord can not exist unless people are willing to have it so; that is,
unless one or both parties place a higher value upon something else than
they do upon peace and harmony.

Abraham is an example of a man who is easily entreated. When strife arose
between his herdmen and those of Lot, it grieved him, and he said to Lot,
"Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between me and thee, and between my
herdmen and thy herdmen; for we be brethren" (Gen. 13: 8). He therefore
proposed to give Lot his choice of all the land and to take what was left.

What does it mean to be easily entreated? It means to be kind and just and
reasonable and self-sacrificing in one's attitude toward others. The man
who possesses this quality habitually manifests this temper in his life.
There are those who are very tenacious of their rights. They feel that
people do not respect those rights as they should; so when any question
involving them arises, they feel as though they must "st