Gladness

Be glad when the flowers have faded?
   Be glad when the trees are bare?
When the fog lies thick on the field and moors,
   And the frost is in the air?
When all around is a desert,
   And the clouds obscure the light?
When there are no songs for the darkest days,
   No stars for the longest night?

Ah, yes, for the truest gladness
   Is not in ease or mirth;
It has its home in the heart of God,
   Not in the loves of the earth.
God's love is the same forever,
   If the skies are bright or dim,
And the joy of the morning lasts all day
   When the heart is glad with Him.
                       Anonymous