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Practice Good Work Habits, May 12
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he
shall not stand before mean men.
Proverbs 22:29
.
Dear son Edson: I fear that you do not always wisely regulate your labor. You
sometimes do too much, and then allow precious hours to pass unimproved, thus
creating a necessity for extra exertion. Temperate, persevering, steady labor will
achieve far more than can be accomplished by spasmodic efforts....
Labor was appointed to man by his Creator. God provided employment for
our first parents in holy Eden. And since the Fall, man has been a toiler, eating
his bread by the sweat of his brow. Every bone of his body, every feature of his
countenance, every muscle of his limbs, evinces the fact that he was made for
activity, not for idleness....
The faithful discharge of life’s duties, whatever your position, calls for a wise
improvement of all the talents and abilities that God has given you. Guard against
being always hurried, yet accomplishing nothing worthy of the effort. These
fruitless efforts are often caused by a failure to do the work at the proper time.
Whatever is neglected at the time when it should be performed, whether in secular
or in religious things, is rarely done well. Many appear to labor diligently every
hour in the day, and yet produce no results to correspond with their efforts....
Be careful not to fritter away your time upon trifles, and then fail to carry out
your undertakings that are of real account. The church and the world need calm,
well-balanced men. To run well for a season is not enough. A steadfast adherence
to a purpose is necessary in order to secure the end. A distinguished man was once
asked how it was possible for him to accomplish such a vast amount of business.
His answer was, “I do one thing at a time.” ...
Henry Martyn, both as a man and a missionary, depended not a little upon his
habits of regularity. To such an extent did he carry these, that he was known in
the university as the student who never wasted an hour.... How many youth who
might have become men of usefulness and power have failed because in early life
they contracted habits of indecision which followed them through life to cripple
all their efforts. Now and then they are filled with sudden zeal to do some great
thing, but they leave their work half finished and it comes to nothing. Patient
continuance in well doing is indispensable to success.
My dear son, be thorough in all you undertake. Rely constantly upon your
Saviour; go to Him for wisdom, for courage, for strength of purpose, for everything
you need. May the Lord bless you is the prayer of your mother.—
Letter 3, May
12, 1877
, to her 27-year-old son Edson.
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