ith, and go ahead. You will find that the Spirit of the Lord will make
you mighty. Do not worry because you have so little to give; just be sure
you give what you can. Do not worry because you seem to have so little
ability, or so little time, or so little opportunity; but do not fail to
use what you have. Make the best of them.

Use Your Environment.

It is of no use to say, "If my surroundings were different," or "If I were
in some other place, then I could do better." Possibly you could, but that
is not the question. Are you doing what you can in your present
environment? If you can change your environment for the better, do it. If
you can not, then decide to do your best where you are.

You may dream of ideal conditions, but you will not find them in this
world. Whether you succeed or fail depends less on your environment than
it does on yourself. If you will be true to the best that is in you, your
environment will not have the influence that you imagine it will.
Favorable circumstances never take the place of soul-qualities. Develop
your soul-qualities, and you will be master of your environment. You need
not let it master you. Be your best, and do your best, in your place. Make
the best of your situation. There is a way for you to succeed, no matter
what is against you. God will help you find that way if you are determined
to find it. Never permit yourself to spend time in lamentation over
yourself or your circumstances. Keep the following thought and
determination ever before you: "I will make the best of myself and my
circumstances." This is the true and only road to success.

TALK THIRTY-NINE. WHERE THE JOY IS

A sister wrote to me recently desiring me to tell her how she might find
sweetness and joy in her trials. She seemed to have in her mind an ideal
experience in which she could be joyous and calm and sweetly contented
while undergoing trials, and she was struggling to attain to her ideal.

This sister is not alone in her reaching out after such an experience.
People often chide and condemn themselves because they have not attained
to such heights. When they suffer and are distressed in their trials, they
think there is something wrong with their experience, and they become
discouraged. The Bible lifts the standard just to the place where it ought
to be; and if we have a higher ideal, we are sure to be constantly coming
short of it.

My answer to the sister was that she was looking in the