Chapter 65—The Reward of Diligence
Let the youth remember that the indolent forfeit the invaluable
experience gained by a faithful performance of the daily duties of life.
He who is indolent and willingly ignorant places in his pathway that
which will always be an obstruction. He refuses the culture that comes
from honest toil. By failing to put forth a helping hand in behalf of
humanity, he robs God. His career is very different from the career
which God marked out for him; for to despise useful employment
encourages the lower tastes and effectually paralyzes the most useful
energies of the being.
Not a few, but thousands, of human beings exist only to consume
the benefits which God in His mercy bestows on them. They forget
to bring the Lord gratitude offerings for the riches He has intrusted to
them in giving them the fruit of the earth. They forget that God desires
them, by trading wisely on the talents lent them, to be producers as well
as consumers. If they had a realization of the work the Lord desires
them to do as His helping hand, they would not feel it a privilege to
shun all responsibility and be waited on.
The Blessing of Labor
Real happiness is found only in being good and doing good. The
purest, highest enjoyment comes to those who faithfully fulfill their
appointed duties. No honest work is degrading. It is ignoble sloth
[211]
which leads human beings to look down on the simple, everyday duties
of life. The refusal to perform these duties causes a mental and moral
deficiency which will one day be keenly felt. At some time in the life
of the slothful his deformity will stand out clearly defined. Over his
life-record is written the words, A consumer, but not a producer.
From all the vocations of life, useful spiritual lessons may be
learned. Those who till the soil may, as they work, study the meaning
of the words, “Ye are God’s husbandry.” In the human heart the seeds
of truth are to be sown, that the life may bear the beautiful fruit of the
186