The Christian should always be calm and bright, even in nature’s darkest hours.
A servant of God was overtaken by sickness when far from home, and thus writes: — “Just at the gray of the dawn in the morning, the fold of my tent parted, and a black face peered through. It was Old Nanny, a colored woman. Looking tenderly at me, she said, ‘Massa, does ye see de bright side dis mornin’?’ ‘No, Nanny,’ said I; ‘it isn’t so bright as I wish it was.’ ‘Well, massa, I alius sees de bright side.’ ‘You do,’ said I, ‘ maybe you haven’t had much trouble?’ ‘May be not,’ she said; and then went on to tell me, in her simple broken way, of her life in Virginia, of the selling of her children one by one, of the auction sale of her husband, and then of herself. She was alone now in the camp, without having heard from one of her kindred for years. ‘Maybe I ain’t seen no trouble, massa.’ ‘But Nanny,’ said I, ‘have you seen the bright side all the time?’ ‘Allus, massa! allus.’ ‘Well, how did you do it?’ ‘Dis is de way, massa. When I see de great black cloud comin’ over’ (and she waved her dark hand inside the tent, as though one might be settling down there),,an’ ‘peers like comin’ crushin’ down on me, den I jist whips aroun’ on de oder side, an’ I find de Lord Jesus dar; an’ den it’s all bright an’ cl’ar. De bright side’s alius whare Jesus is, massa.’ ‘Well, Nanny,’ said I, ‘if you can do that, I think I ought to.’ ‘Peers like ye ought to, massa, an’ you’s a preacher of de Word of Jesus.’ She went away. I turned myself on my blanket, and said in my heart, ‘The Lord is my shepherd. It is all right and well. Now, come fever or health, come death or life, come burial on the Yasoo Bluff or in the churchyard at home, the Lord is my shepherd.’ With this sweet peace of rest, God’s care and love became very precious to me. I fell asleep. When I awoke, I was in a perspiration, my fever was broken. Old Nanny’s faith had made me whole.”