J. B. Stoney
The Christian, when opposed and thwarted, must not retire into the sanctuary of his own heart to enjoy his blessings alone, or he is like the flower that closes its petals on a cold rough day and refuses to shed its fragrance when everything is out of season. But he should be like the hawthorn tree, that in the depth of winter hangs out its scarlet berries for the suffering birds, when there is succor nowhere else. This tree, the admiration of all in May, comes forth and offers a ready sustenance to the needy. To be like the hawthorn tree you must be proof against the frosts of neglect and the snows of indifference. In a word, instead of retiring into yourself to find in the Lord a comfort denied elsewhere, you must seek for nothing from around, but, having the heart satisfied with Christ, be free from self-thoughts, to be a blessing even to those who oppose you — be a hawthorn tree in the dreary winter.