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The Glory of Labor by Vernie Lynn DeMille

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We live in a time of confusion. It could be argued that there are many kinds of confusion and a multitude of papers could be written for them all. I will deal with only one.

Our society worships the human body. Billions of dollars are spent adorning it; concourses of people wear as little as possible with the intent of showing it off, millions are spent on implements of torture designed specifically for shaping it. And yet, for all our worship of the muscles and form of the human body, we despise the very element meant to sculpt it: we despise labor.

It is an unwritten tenet of our cultural beliefs that something is sweeter if we can get it for nothing. Work that requires physical labor is low.

I’m very much afraid that there are no John Henry’s left in America to stand up and challenge the Iron Horse. No one left to question whether faster is better. If “manpower” no longer has any meaning, what is to become of man?

The human body is a thing of beauty and it was fashioned for physical labor. Not labor just for show; after all what good is image without substance? But labor for something greater than oneself. The greatest satisfaction in life comes not from self-serving activities not from self-aggrandizing pursuits. Satisfaction comes not from “having” and “doing”, but rather from “acting” and “being”.

A man of action, who sees a need and fills it, a man of principle who is unwavering in his dedication to correctness; these are the results of labor. Those who adhere to the belief that it is glorious to get something for nothing will never “have” enough, because there is no value attached to those kinds of possessions. Value is directly related to labor. What we do not have to work for we value too cheaply, that which we labor for is too dear to be neglected. A man who believes there is “nothing to do” and demands to be entertained continually values his life, time, and talents too little.

Labor adds value to our lives; it is the glory of the human frame and mind to “act” in such a way as to “be” a man of honor, integrity, and principle.

Glory is not to be had in things. It cannot be bought with bank notes, it cannot be influenced by fame. Glory is only to be had in being who God means for you to be and acting as He would have you act.

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