An Opportunity for a Young Man or a Young Woman by E. D. Sharpe

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Tacoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jan 10, 1907

An Opportunity for a Young Man or a Young Woman

By E. D. Sharpe

“Go work to-day in my vineyard.”

If we work upon marble, it will perish; if we work upon brass, time will efface it; if we rear temples, they will crumble to dust; but if we work upon minds, we engrave on those tablets something that will brighten to all eternity.—Daniel Webster.

To every one has been given at least one talent, and therefore, to every one a responsibility, a duty, a privilege, and a place in which to work, affording ample opportunity to develop and make use of the talent bestowed. There are many desirable positions of trust awaiting every young man and every young woman who is qualified to fill them. No higher aim can actuate a young man than to occupy a field that permits the exercise of his intellectual and moral faculties to an unlimited degree; that affords the greatest personal and social pleasure; that requires vigorous activity and fortitude to surmount difficulties, overcome obstacles, and endure hardness; that provides for the temporary needs of the household; that uplifts humanity, creates friends, and leaves no regretful career behind; and lastly, that not only restores the image of God in the souls of many, but brings the greatest reward in this world and in the world to come.

It is a sober truth known to all, that the men whom all regard with satisfaction are those who have given their ability, their best effort, and their life to the work of enlightening and uplifting their fellow beings. Yes, heavenly intelligences and the Lord of all, count such greatly beloved. The Great Teacher, of his own free will, chose and filled such a position, using every faculty of his being to bless others, and thereby earned a name that is above every name in earth or heaven, so that every soul, from the man in the hovel to the king upon his throne, and from the ministering spirit to the shining seraph, praise and adore the One who “went about doing good.” On the other hand, Lucifer sought to honor himself, to cast down others, and thereby degraded himself before the entire universe, making his name an eternal disgrace, degraded below every name that is named, so that “his remembrance shall perish,” and “they that come after him shall be astonished at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.”

Now it is not the name we seek, but these instances have been cited to indicate what work merits the greatest praise, and therefore what has been productive of the greatest good to all concerned. Effect follows cause. What were the effects of Christ’s work? of Lucifer’s? What, then, were the causes? In making a choice, and every young man will, what will he choose? If you long to make money to become rich, call to mind the experiences of Rockefeller and the leaders of the Life Insurance “System,” and the attitude of the world toward them. Consider the utility and the rewards incident to dealing in dollars. If you desire to be a senator or a statesman, compare the life and reward of Joseph and Chauncey Depew. The careers of Napoleon and Alexander the Great do not impress us like that of Daniel, the prime minister of Babylon and later of Persia.

The work of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln is much more appreciated than that of Aaron Burr or of Stephen A. Douglas. Why? In the lower walks of life men are esteemed or disregarded according as their field of work deserves. They produced the causes, they reaped the effects. The effects are therefore to us indications of a utility that is or is not worthy of our consideration. We must seek out and choose that line of work that will establish causes that bring the effects we desire. The successes and failures of others are indications to us as to the nature of the work we shall choose to do. But above all that we have mentioned in human affairs, none impresses us more deeply than the great and good work done by men like Martin Luther, John Huss, David Livingstone, Wm. Carey, Robert Moffat, Pestalozzi, Milton, Melanchthon, Mr. and Mrs. Judson, Horace Mann, James White, Uriah Smith, and all the other noble worthies that have given their lives to preaching, teaching, writing, enlightening, blessing, and ministering to needy humanity. The deeds and rewards of these men are plain to all, are manifest to everybody. They are beloved by God and men. Why?—Because of the profession or work they choose to follow, and their devotion to it, and what they accomplished.

Now in these days of opportunity and promise there are thousands of openings to be filled, numerous occasions to do something and to be something, to make life a success by choosing that profession which affords the greatest possibility to benefit souls, ourselves included. As Johnson observes, “Every man is obliged by the Supreme Maker of the universe to improve all the opportunities of good which are afforded him.”

From native land, from Europe, from heathen Asia, from benighted China and far-off India, from the deserts of Arabia and the jungles of Africa, and from the isles of the sea comes a decided, plaintive, and ever-increasing call for Careys, Moffats, and Williams, for preachers to proclaim the everlasting gospel, for professors and teachers to establish many schools where may be taught the “unsearchable riches” and the sciences, for Christian physicians to minister and to found sanitariums, for printers and translators to scatter the printed page, for business men to direct, for Bible workers, canvassers, nurses, musicians, and industrial teachers who can teach and ply the trades and crafts. These openings are multiplying daily, hourly. Who dare say there is no work for me to do? The universe would dispute it.

Let every soul hear the great missionary call that is coming from all the world, for preachers, teachers, doctors, business men, and all other kinds of workers. And when you hear the call, respond to the position tendered you, an enviable position, fraught with eternal possibilities. And when you have decided to fill that position, enter one of our institutions, obtain an education, the necessary preparation, and then, as others have done, give your utmost service to humanity. A life of personal satisfaction in doing good will accompany you, and in the end God will make you a star to shine forevermore among your fellows and those whom you have helped to save. “Consecration in any work of life singles man’s forces for the utmost service.”—Beardshear.

E. D. SHARPE.