MARION and Joan spent a happy summer holiday with their parents on a house-boat at the mouth of the rivers Stour and Avon.
Marion was twelve years old and Joan was ten, and they thought living on a house-boat much nicer than being at home. For one thing, they slept in bunks, one above another, exactly like the berths on a liner, and to get into her bunk Marion had to climb the ladder fixed by the side. Then there was another ladder to climb to get on to the roof of the house-boat, and everything was done in the opposite way from home.
At home the postman and the milkman called, here Marion and Joan rowed across to the land and called at a cottage on the quay for their letters and milk and fresh water for drinking. Here, too, they had to get their own meals, for there was no one to wait on them.
They usually spent their days out on the river in a sailing boat, and did not come home till supper-time. The weather was splendid, until one afternoon they will always remember.
They were in their boat with the sail up, when a sudden gust of wind caught it, and but for the quick way their father managed the sail they would have been upset.
The wind grew more and more boisterous, and the waves came into the boat; the tide was dead against them as well as the wind, and they could see it would be no easy task to get back to the house-boat.
Marion and Joan helped their father to row, but with all their efforts they made little progress. The waves splashed in again and again, someone kicked over the milk-can, losing nearly all the milk, and things looked very black. At last, exhausted with their efforts, they landed for tea and made the best of the little remaining milk.
Then, after a rest, they got into the boat again and rowed as hard as they could, but they still made very little progress. So up went the sail again and they tacked from side to side, but to little purpose. Then they tried both sailing and rowing, but it looked as if they would not get home till midnight! A motor-boat rushed past them, the owner smiling at their desperate efforts.
Would they get back to their house-boat before dark?
Oh, to have had a motor-launch then, or to have been taken in tow! But the motor-boat flew by before they had time to ask for help. At last, after many hours of hard work, tired out, wet, and depressed, they did get back and were soon safely in bed.
Marion's mother learned some lessons from that afternoon's experience. Can you guess what they were?
How much better, she thought, it is to have a power, which is not your own, which will carry you against wind and wave, than to be dependent on your own feeble efforts. Supposing, she thought, that our strength had given out, and we had been obliged to give up rowing, what would have happened?
We were like boys and girls who depend on their own efforts to conquer their evil tempers, and naughty ways, and like them we were very nearly exhausted, unhappy and depressed, fearing we should never succeed.
The man in the motor-boat could sit and smile in spite of the wind and the tide and the current! Why was that? He had a power inside his boat, outside himself, to carry him along, and was in no way dependent on his own efforts. We were taken up with our rowing and sailing, wondering if we should ever succeed, but he, happy man, was enjoying his trip and not thinking of himself at all.
And, boys and girls, this is the way to be overcomers. If you are Christians, and know that your sins are forgiven you, do not try to live in your own strength. It may seem to be easy when there is no opposition, but what will happen when the waves and wind of a strong temper rise and threaten to swamp you!
Allow the power within you, the Spirit of God, who indwells the believer, to take the helm.
The man with the motor in his launch has only to see that there is petrol enough, and to be sure there is no sand or grit or water in his engine to prevent it running. A very little grit will stop it altogether, as many of you boys know.
So a Christian boy or girl has to see that nothing prevents the Spirit of God having full control over him or her.
The dust of foolish talking or of wrong company does much damage to our souls, and grieves the Spirit of God, and we are told:
Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
You may be sure the owner overhauled the motor-launch, and saw that it was free from dust, refilled his tank, and oiled his engine in the harbor, before venturing out. How do you start each day, I wonder?
Do you get alone in your room and ask God's help for the day, and read His word, so that fed and refreshed you can enjoy your work and your games, and instead of fighting inward temper and outward difficulties in your own strength, you are able to meet all against you with a power which is not your own. So you see, no Christian boy or girl need say, "I can't help getting into tempers," or I can't help being careless and forgetful, "for God has given you the power to overcome." Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." (Rom. 12:2121Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. (Romans 12:21).)