"Look at that cow," he exclaimed. "Tell me, why is she looking over the wall?"

"I-I-I don't know," stammered the surprised worrier, wondering at the sudden and seemingly pointless turn of the conversation. "Why does she?"

"Why, she's looking over the wall because she can't see through it," said John Wesley, his eyes crinkled in a smile. "And that's exactly what you are going to have to do. Your troubles are a stone wall. Look over and above them to God, and you will have the help you need."

We all have troubles. Sometimes it seems as if our troubles are more numerous and worrisome than those that anyone else possesses. They are as thick and impenetrable as a rock wall -- and just as hard to bump our head against. And the more we look at them, the heavier and darker they get.

It's a curious fact that if you get too close to anything you can't see over or around it. It blots out your vision for anything else. Cut out a bit of cardboard about the size of a quarter and hold it before your eye. The closer you get that cardboard to your eye, the less of anything else you can see. Get it close enough, and all you will see is the cardboard.

The same is true of our troubles. We get so close to them that they blot out everything else. If only we can raise our eyes and look over those troubles we will see that God is still there in His heaven. He is still willing to help us. He is still our God, and desires nothing more than to have us happy.

I had a trouble. It had grown so big that it filled my whole vision. It filled my whole mind with sadness until I could think of nothing else. Then I decided to take it to God and lay it at His feet, and, oh, it was so heavy I could hardly put it down! Then I told Jesus about it, and peace came. When I opened my eyes and looked at my trouble again, it had shrunk to a normal size. It wasn't really such a big trouble after all. In fact, it was really quite insignificant.

Do you have troubles? Of course you have. We all do. But look over and beyond them to the "God of Jacob," for He is our help and He wants us to be happy.