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Useful Occupation Better Than Games, June 22
It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect.
Psalm 18:32
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Educate men and women to bring up their children free from false, fashionable
practices, to teach them to be useful. The daughters should be educated under the
mothers to do useful labor, not merely indoor labor but out-of-door labor as well.
Mothers could also train the sons, to a certain age, to do useful things indoors and
out-of-doors.
There are plenty of necessary, useful things to do in our world that would make
the pleasure-amusement exercise almost wholly unnecessary. Brain, bone, and
muscle will acquire solidity and strength in using them to a purpose, doing good
hard thinking, and in devising plans which shall train them [the youth] to develop
powers of intellect and strength of the physical organs, which will be putting into
practical use their God-given talents with which they may glorify God.
This was plainly laid out before our health institution and our college as the
forcible reason why they should be established among us; but as it was in the days
of Noah and Lot, so it is in our time. Men have sought out many inventions and
have widely departed from God’s purposes and His ways.
I do not condemn the simple exercise of playing ball; but this, even in its
simplicity, may be overdone. I shrink always from the almost sure result which
follows in the wake of these amusements. It leads to an outlay of means that
should be expended in bringing the light of truth to souls that are perishing out of
Christ. The amusements and expenditures of means for self-pleasing, which lead
on step by step to self-glorifying, and the educating in these games for pleasure,
produce a love and passion for such things that is not favorable to the perfection
of Christian character....
Suffering humanity needs help everywhere. The students may win their way
to hearts by speaking words in season, buy doing favors for those who need even
physical labor. This will... bring a consciousness of the approval of God. It will
be putting the talents, entrusted to you for wise improvement, to the exchangers....
There are healthful methods of exercise that may be planned which will be
beneficial to both soul and body.... It is our duty ever to seek to do good in the
use of the muscles and brain God has given to youth, that they may be useful
to others, making their labors lighter, ... turning the minds of the students from
fun and frolic which often carries them beyond the dignity of manhood and
womanhood.... The Lord would have the mind elevated, seeking higher, nobler
channels of usefulness.—
Selected Messages 2:321-324
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