Sand

"...that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the seashore. And thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." Genesis 22:17

       In " The Pilgrim's Progress " we are told about the Hill Difficulty. It was a high, hard hill which every one had to climb, if he would make the most of his life. Of course there are some people who do not care whether they ever do any better or are any better. They are satisfied to stay at the bottom all their lives, but for the boy or girl who is seeking the best things, life is like the climbing of a hill that is steep and rough.
       There are two things that we all need if we are ever to reach the top. One is sand. When you hear some one say that a certain boy has plenty of "sand," you know what he means, but perhaps you do not know just where that expression came from.
       One of the greatest powers of which we know is that of the waves along the seashore. Half-way between Cape Henry and Virginia Beach there lies the wreck of a great ship, one hundred and fifty feet long. It was lifted by the waves and thrown high up on the beach. There is almost nothing that can stand before the power of the waves. If they make a bulkhead of piles or stone or concrete, it will last a few years and will then be undermined and washed away. Men have never found anything that can long hold the waves back. But God has made a bulkhead that the sea cannot pass. It is the sand. The sand can stand against the waves and it is the only thing we know that can.
       Sand in a boy or girl is the courage and power to stand up before things that are hard. It is the ability to say ''no" when temptation comes along, and to mean it. It is the power to take some hard work and stick to it and hold on till it is finished.
       You see someday a street-car starting up a long grade. Before the car begins to climb, the conductor takes a look at the sand box. He will not start up the hill unless there is plenty of sand in that box. Without sand the car will slip back before it reaches the top.
       Some boys never can play football. They have the weight, and the strength, and the speed, but they haven't the sand. And there are some people who never get anywhere in life. They have good bodies and plenty of brains and opportunity. But they lack sand. Now you are all starting out to climb the hill of life before you. Never forget that you must have sand.
       And there is something else that we need. Oftentimes we need help. We cannot do our work alone.
       There was a little boy who was trying to lift a heavy stone. He could not budge it. Just then his father came along and watched him. At last he said to the boy, "Are you using all your strength?" "Yes'' answered the boy, ''I am using all of it." "No," said his father, "you are not using all of it." So the little fellow tried again, this time harder than ever, and he moved the stone a little, but still he could not lift it. His father said again to him, ''You are not using all of your strength." The boy said, "Yes, I am. Father." "No," said the father, "you haven't asked me to help yet." The boy had forgotten that his father's strength was his strength too, and that he could ask for it, and have it if he needed it. In the same way let us remember that God's strength is our strength, and that we can have that strength to help us if we need it. S. N. Hutchison

"I can do hard things" song by SEL Song for Kids