The story is told of an artist who was painting the interior of the cupola of a famous cathedral. He was compelled to work while standing on a swinging scaffold far above the pavement. One day when he had finished a detail on which he had spent days of painstaking effort, he stopped and began to estimate his work. So well had he succeeded that he was lost in wonder and admiration.

As he stood there gazing at the structure, he began to move backward slowly in order to get a better view, forgetting where he was. A man who was with him became suddenly aware that one more backward step would mean a fatal fall. Quick as a flash he made with his own brush a sweeping stroke across the picture. The artist stopped and rushed forward, crying out in anger and dismay; but when his companion explained his strange action the great artist burst into expressions of gratitude.

Someday we shall thank God for every loss sustained in this life, for every shattered idol, for every disrupted plan.

Source: Signs of the Times, Copyright (c) October 17, 1944, Pacific Press. With permission from Dale Galusha dalgal@pacificpress.com