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True Education
the heart.” So of all the seven the testimony was, “The Lord has not
chosen any of these.”
1 Samuel 16:6, 7, 10
, NRSV. Not until David
had been called from watching the flock was the prophet permitted
to fulfill his mission.
The elder brothers, from whom Samuel would have chosen, did
not possess the qualifications that God saw to be essential in a ruler
of His people. Proud, self-centered, self-confident, they were set
aside for the one whom they lightly regarded, one who had preserved
the simplicity and sincerity of his youth, and who, while little in his
own sight, could be trained by God for the responsibilities of the
kingdom. So today, in many a child whom the parents would pass
by, God sees capabilities far above those revealed by others who are
thought to possess great promise.
And as regards life’s possibilities, who is capable of deciding
what is great and what is small? Many a worker in the lowly places
of life, by setting on foot agencies for the blessing of the world, has
achieved results that kings might envy!
Make certain, then, that every child receives an education for the
highest service. “In the morning sow your seed, and in the evening
do not withhold your hand; for you do not know which will prosper,
either this or that.”
Ecclesiastes 11:6
.
The specific place appointed us in life is determined by our
capabilities. Not all reach the same development or do the same
work with equal efficiency. God does not expect the hyssop to attain
the proportions of the cedar, or the olive the height of the stately
palm. But each should aim just as high as the union of human with
divine power makes possible.
Many do not become what they might because they do not put
forth the power that is in them. They do not, as they might, lay hold
on divine strength. Many are diverted from the line in which they
might reach the truest success. Seeking greater honor or a more
pleasing task, they attempt something for which they are not fitted.
Many a person whose talents are adapted for some other calling
is ambitious to enter a profession, and one who might have been
successful as a farmer, an artisan, or a nurse, fills inadequately the
position of a minister, a lawyer, or a physician. Others, who might
have filled a responsible calling, for lack of energy, application, or
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perseverance, content themselves with an easier place.