Beautiful Lesson

This is a story from a book written in 1875 by a man named Robert Boyd. It's
called the "Trials and Triumphs of Faith." It's put me in tears, more than once.

A minister tells us that he was spending several days in one of our western
cities. He put up at a hotel, and one morning he heard, while up in his
room, the most wonderful whistling he had ever listened to. It seemed like
the note of a bird, but he thought it could not be that, for there was a
perfectly regular tune kept up with much power. Though he was in the third
story, yet the music came gushing up in its sweet melody, and seemed to fill
the whole house. He ran downstairs to get a sight of the wonderful
performer, looking every man that he met in the face. At last, he asked the
clerk who it was that had such amazing power as a whistler. Laughing at his
simplicity he pointed him to a canary bird that had been trained to perform
in this way, and was valued at $150.

"How was that bird trained to sing this way?" the gentleman enquired. In
reply the clerk told him that during the training process the bird is nearly
starved and shut up in a room that is almost dark. While it is under this
severe discipline, and its attention undivided, a bird organ is made to play
this one tune over and over again, for days. Hearing nothing else, and
taught by his troubles, the poor little bird takes up the tune, which he
performs so perfectly.

Thus it is that God permits his people to be afflicted that they may learn
the heavenly song. He shuts them up in the dark room of sorrow, away from
the tempting sights and sounds of the world, that they may, without
distraction, listen to his voice and learn to sing the higher melodies of
glory. Blessed are those who patiently wait the Lord's good time to work out
their deliverance. When the song of Grace is fully learned, he brings them
into a large place, sets their feet upon a rock, and others learn from them
the sweet song of redeeming love.