Education
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 31: The Lifework
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The heaven-appointed purpose of giving the gospel to the world
in this generation is the noblest that can appeal to any human being.
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Success in any line demands a definite aim. He who would
achieve true success in life must keep steadily in view the aim worthy of his
endeavor. Such an aim is set before the youth of today. The heaven-appointed
purpose of giving the gospel to the world in this generation is the noblest
that can appeal to any human being. It opens a field of effort to everyone
whose heart Christ has touched. {Ed 262.1}
God's purpose for the children growing up beside our hearths
is wider, deeper, higher, than our restricted vision has comprehended. From the
humblest lot those whom He has seen faithful have in time past been called to
witness for Him in the world's highest places. And many a lad of today, growing
up as did Daniel in his Judean home, studying God's word and His works, and
learning the lessons of faithful service, will yet stand in legislative
assemblies, in halls of justice, or in royal courts, as a witness for the King
of kings. Multitudes will be called to a wider ministry. The whole world is
opening to the gospel. Ethiopia is stretching out her hands unto God. From
Japan and China and India, from the still-darkened lands of our own continent,
from every quarter of this world of ours, comes the cry of sin-stricken hearts
for a knowledge [263] of the God of love. Millions
upon millions have never so much as heard of God or of His love revealed in
Christ. It is their right to receive this knowledge. They have an equal claim
with us in the Saviour's mercy. And it rests with us who have received the
knowledge, with our children to whom we may impart it, to answer their cry. To
every household and every school, to every parent, teacher, and child upon whom
has shone the light of the gospel, comes at this crisis the question put to
Esther the queen at that momentous crisis in Israel's history, "Who
knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as
this?" Esther 4:14. {Ed
262.2}
Those who think of the result of hastening or hindering the
gospel think of it in relation to themselves and to the world. Few think of its
relation to God. Few give thought to the suffering that sin has caused our
Creator. All heaven suffered in Christ's agony; but that suffering did not
begin or end with His manifestation in humanity. The cross is a revelation to
our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has brought to
the heart of God. Every departure from the right, every deed of cruelty, every
failure of humanity to reach His ideal, brings grief to Him. When there came
upon Israel the calamities that were the sure result of separation from God,—subjugation
by their enemies, cruelty, and death,—it is said that "His soul
was grieved for the misery of Israel." "In all their affliction He
was afflicted: . . . and He bare them, and carried them all the days
of old." Judges 10:16; Isaiah 63:9. {Ed 263.1}
His Spirit "maketh intercession for us with groanings
which cannot be uttered." As the "whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together" (Romans 8:26, 22), the heart of the infinite
Father is pained in sympathy. [264] Our world is a vast lazar house,
a scene of misery that we dare not allow even our thoughts to dwell upon. Did
we realize it as it is, the burden would be too terrible. Yet God feels it all.
In order to destroy sin and its results He gave His best Beloved, and He has
put it in our power, through co-operation with Him, to bring this scene of
misery to an end. "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the
world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."
Matthew 24:14. {Ed 263.2}
"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to
every creature" (Mark 16:15), is Christ's command to His followers. Not
that all are called to be ministers or missionaries in the ordinary sense of
the term; but all may be workers with Him in giving the "glad
tidings" to their fellow men. To all, great or small, learned or ignorant,
old or young, the command is given. {Ed 264.1}
In view of this command, can we educate our sons and
daughters for a life of respectable conventionality, a life professedly
Christian, but lacking His self-sacrifice, a life on which the verdict of Him
who is truth must be, "I know you not"? {Ed 264.2}
Thousands are doing this. They think to secure for their
children the benefits of the gospel while they deny its spirit. But this cannot
be. Those who reject the privilege of fellowship with Christ in service, reject
the only training that imparts a fitness for participation with Him in His
glory. They reject the training that in this life gives strength and nobility
of character. Many a father and mother, denying their children to the cross of
Christ, have learned too late that they were thus giving them over to the enemy
of God and man. They sealed their ruin, not alone for the future but for the
present life. Temptation [265] overcame them. They grew up a
curse to the world, a grief and shame to those who gave them being. {Ed 264.3}
Even in seeking a preparation for God's service, many are
turned aside by wrong methods of education. Life is too generally regarded as
made up of distinct periods, the period of learning and the period of doing—of
preparation and of achievement. In preparation for a life of service the youth
are sent to school, to acquire knowledge by the study of books. Cut off from
the responsibilities of everyday life, they become absorbed in study, and often
lose sight of its purpose. The ardor of their early consecration dies out, and
too many take up with some personal, selfish ambition. Upon their graduation,
thousands find themselves out of touch with life. They have so long dealt with
the abstract and theoretical that when the whole being must be roused to meet
the sharp contests of real life, they are unprepared. Instead of the noble work
they had purposed, their energies are engrossed in a struggle for mere
subsistence. After repeated disappointments, in despair even of earning an
honest livelihood, many drift into questionable or criminal practices. The
world is robbed of the service it might have received; and God is robbed of the
souls He longed to uplift, ennoble, and honor as representatives of Himself. {Ed 265.1}
Many parents err in discriminating between their children in
the matter of education. They make almost any sacrifice to secure the best
advantages for one that is bright and apt. But these opportunities are not
thought a necessity for those who are less promising. Little education is
deemed essential for the performance of life's ordinary duties. {Ed 265.2}
But who is capable of selecting from a family of children [266]
the ones upon whom will rest the most important responsibilities? How often
human judgment has here proved to be at fault! Remember the experience of
Samuel when sent to anoint from the sons of Jesse one to be king over Israel.
Seven noble-looking youth passed before him. As he looked upon the first, in
features comely, in form well-developed, and in bearing princely, the prophet
exclaimed, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before Him." But God said,
"Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I
have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the
outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." So of all the
seven the testimony was, "The Lord hath not chosen these." 1 Samuel
16:6, 7, 10. And not until David had been called from the flock was the prophet
permitted to fulfill his mission. {Ed 265.3}
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. {Ed 266.1}
And as regards life's possibilities, who is capable of
deciding what is great and what is small? How 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! {Ed 266.2}
Let every child, then, receive an education for the [267]
highest service. "In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold
not thine hand: for thou knowest not which shall prosper, whether this or
that," Ecclesiastes 11:6, R.V. {Ed 266.3}
The specific place appointed us in life is determined by our
capabilities. Not all reach the same development or do with equal efficiency
the same work. 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 it possible for him to
reach. {Ed 267.1}
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 man whose talents are adapted for some
other calling, is ambitious to enter a profession; and he 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. There are others, again, who might
have filled a responsible calling, but who, for want of energy, application, or
perseverance, content themselves with an easier place. {Ed 267.2}
We need to follow more closely God's plan of life. To do our
best in the work that lies nearest, to commit our ways to God, and to watch for
the indications of His providence—these are rules that ensure safe
guidance in the choice of an occupation. {Ed 267.3}
He who came from heaven to be our example spent nearly
thirty years of His life in common, mechanical labor; but during this time He
was studying the word and the works of God, and helping, teaching, all whom [268]
His influence could reach. When His public ministry began, He went about
healing the sick, comforting the sorrowful, and preaching the gospel to the
poor. This is the work of all His followers. {Ed 267.4}
"He that is greatest among you," He said,
"let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
For . . . I am among you as he that serveth." Luke 22:26, 27. {Ed 268.1}
Love and loyalty to Christ are the spring of all true
service. In the heart touched by His love, there is begotten a desire to work
for Him. Let this desire be encouraged and rightly guided. Whether in the home,
the neighborhood, or the school, the presence of the poor, the afflicted, the
ignorant, or the unfortunate should be regarded, not as a misfortune, but as
affording precious opportunity for service. {Ed 268.2}
In this work, as in every other, skill is gained in the work
itself. It is by training in the common duties of life and in ministry to the
needy and suffering, that efficiency is assured. Without this the best-meant
efforts are often useless and even harmful. It is in the water, not on the
land, that men learn to swim. {Ed 268.3}
Another obligation, too often lightly regarded,—one
that to the youth awakened to the claims of Christ needs to be made plain,—is
the obligation of church relationship. {Ed 268.4}
Very close and sacred is the relation between Christ and His
church—He the bridegroom, and the church the bride; He the head, and
the church the body. Connection with Christ, then, involves connection with His
church. {Ed 268.5}
The church is organized for service; and in a life of
service to Christ, connection with the church is one of [269] the
first steps. Loyalty to Christ demands the faithful performance of church
duties. This is an important part of one's training; and in a church imbued
with the Master's life, it will lead directly to effort for the world without. {Ed 268.6}
There are many lines in which the youth can find opportunity
for helpful effort. Let them organize into bands for Christian service, and the
co-operation will prove an assistance and an encouragement. Parents and
teachers, by taking an interest in the work of the young people, will be able
to give them the benefit of their own larger experience, and can help them to
make their efforts effective for good. {Ed 269.1}
It is acquaintance that awakens sympathy, and sympathy is
the spring of effective ministry. To awaken in the children and youth sympathy
and the spirit of sacrifice for the suffering millions in the "regions
beyond," let them become acquainted with these lands and their peoples. In
this line much might be accomplished in our schools. Instead of dwelling on the
exploits of the Alexanders and Napoleons of history, let the pupils study the
lives of such men as the apostle Paul and Martin Luther, as Moffat and
Livingstone and Carey, and the present daily-unfolding history of missionary
effort. Instead of burdening their memories with an array of names and theories
that have no bearing upon their lives, and to which, once outside the
schoolroom, they rarely give a thought, let them study all lands in the light
of missionary effort and become acquainted with the peoples and their needs. {Ed 269.2}
In this closing work of the gospel there is a vast field to
be occupied; and, more than ever before, the work is to enlist helpers from the
common people. Both the [270] youth and those older in years
will be called from the field, from the vineyard, and from the workshop, and
sent forth by the Master to give His message. Many of these have had little
opportunity for education; but Christ sees in them qualifications that will
enable them to fulfill His purpose. If they put their hearts into the work, and
continue to be learners, He will fit them to labor for Him. {Ed 269.3}
He who knows the depths of the world's misery and despair,
knows by what means to bring relief. He sees on every hand souls in darkness,
bowed down with sin and sorrow and pain. But He sees also their possibilities;
He sees the height to which they may attain. Although human beings have abused
their mercies, wasted their talents, and lost the dignity of godlike manhood,
the Creator is to be glorified in their redemption. {Ed 270.1}
The burden of labor for these needy ones in the rough places
of the earth Christ lays upon those who can feel for the ignorant and for such
as are out of the way. He will be present to help those whose hearts are
susceptible to pity, though their hands may be rough and unskilled. He will
work through those who can see mercy in misery, and gain in loss. When the
Light of the world passes by, privilege will be discerned in hardship, order in
confusion, success in apparent failure. Calamities will be seen as disguised
blessings; woes, as mercies. Laborers from the common people, sharing the
sorrows of their fellow men as their Master shared the sorrows of the whole
human race, will by faith see Him working with them. {Ed 270.2}
"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and
hasteth greatly." Zephaniah 1:14. And a world is to be warned. {Ed 270.3}
With such preparation as they can gain, thousands [271]
upon thousands of the youth and those older in years should be giving
themselves to this work. Already many hearts are responding to the call of the
Master Worker, and their numbers will increase. Let every Christian educator
give such workers sympathy and co-operation. Let him encourage and assist the
youth under his care in gaining a preparation to join the ranks. {Ed 270.4}
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There is no line of work in which it is possible for the
youth to receive greater benefit. All who engage in ministry are God's helping
hand. They are co-workers with the angels; rather, they are the human agencies
through whom the angels accomplish their mission. Angels speak through their
voices, and work by their hands. And the human workers, co-operating with
heavenly agencies, have the benefit of their education and experience. As a
means of education, what "university course" can equal this? {Ed 271.1}
With such an army of workers as our youth, rightly trained,
might furnish, how soon the message of a crucified, risen, and soon-coming
Saviour might be carried to the whole world! How soon might the end come—the
end of suffering and sorrow and sin! How soon, in place of a possession here,
with its blight of sin and pain, our children might receive their inheritance
where "the righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell therein
forever;" where "the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick," and
"the voice of weeping shall be no more heard." Psalm 37:29; Isaiah
33:24; 65:19. {Ed 271.2}
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"Preparation"
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