Ideals for Earnest Youth
A. T. Rowe
Chapter 1: Life a Purposeful Plan
Chapter 2: The Unplanned Life a Tragedy
In all of God's creation there is system, plan. Would it not be strange if everything were planned except human life? Had you supposed that life was a matter of "chance," of "luck"? Well, God has planned your life and mine. "How beautiful," you say, "to know that all our life is planned of God, and consequently must work out for the best!"
Yes, but God has a plan for us in which we are honored above the plants and all forms of animal life. Nature carries out God's plan because there is no other way. The animal carries out God's plan because of inherent instinct. But man is honored with the gift of choice. God has a plan for your life and mine, but He leaves it for us to decide whether or not we shall carry it out. He never forces us. We may refuse His plan for us and choose our own. To do this is not only to spoil our lives but to hinder His plan.
God is the master Musician, the master Weaver, the master Builder. If we permit Him to have His way with us the completed whole will be a thing of beauty and usefulness; but a discordant note, a broken thread, a piece of faulty material mars all.
We cannot all be preachers, teachers, missionaries, or active, "separated" gospel workers. Nor is it God's design that we should be. But there is a diversity of talents and gifts; and of one thing we may be sure: God has a plan, a purpose in each individual life. The plan is not the same for all. The essential thing is that each of us find our place in life and then do our best in that place. Some are called to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers. And in addition to these high callings there are innumerable other gifts which are freely bestowed. It requires many kinds of people and all sorts of talents to carry out God's complete program for the winning of the world to Christ.
"God holds the key of all unknown,
And I am glad;
If other hands should hold the key,
Or if He trusted it to me,
I might be sad.
"Enough; this covers all my want!
And so I rest;
For what I cannot, He can see,
And in His care I'll surely be
Forever blest."
Without question the unplanned life is a tragedy. God has made His plan for us; we should make our plans to conform to His. We plan everything else--our education, our homes, our household duties, our social affairs. The captain of the sea moves by chart; the mountain climber employs a guide; the tourist follows his map or bluebook. The architect plans his house in every detail before he starts work. The painter plans his picture and every stroke of the brush is full of meaning.
But too often the life itself is unplanned. The Bible tells us of a foolish man who began building a house without having counted the cost, and the house was a failure--it was never completed. Do we want to imitate that man?
It is most unwise to leave God out of our planning. Regardless of how much in earnest we may be in making our plans there is danger of failure with God left out. To leave God out is to refuse the services of the master Architect. There can be no doubt that the God-planned life is by all odds the best, most useful, and happiest life. We cannot know what the future holds. God knows. He knows all that is back of us and all that is to come. He sees as we cannot see. He sees the ending of the path that to us appears rough and uninviting. And He cares. He is all-loving.
"He knows, he loves, he cares,
Nothing his truth can dim;
He gives his very best to those
Who leave their choice with him."
D. L. Moody had planned to make and save a hundred thousand dollars. When He had accumulated but seven thousands dollars. When he had accumulated but seven thousand of it God called him to active gospel work, and he spent the seven thousand getting started. Many of our ablest and wisest men, in the gospel and in other pursuits, were men who surrendered to God and let Him have His way with them. When Colgate as a poor boy started out to become a soap-maker an old friend advised him: "Make the best soap you can, give a full pound, and don't forget God's part." It was on that principle that Colgate built his business, and from that day, never less--often more--than one-tenth of the profits of that great plant went into the work of the kingdom of God.
The unplanned life, leaving God out, is the greatest tragedy of human life. The call of selfishness, fame, ambition, wealth, power, are heard on all sides of us. We may try to avoid them by tying ourselves securely as we think to the mast of our own purpose, but without God as our pilot we have no assurance that these calls will not be too much for us. The wisest young people are those who have sought until they have found God's plan and with joy carry out His great purpose. Doing this will drown these other voices.
Since there is a divine plan for each individual life how are we to find our place and know it?
First there must be character at the foundation of every successful life. We may be sure that God's plan for us presupposes positive Christian character. We need not look for God's plan outside of a life of service. God never planned any life to be useless, always getting and never giving. Nature itself abhors uselessness. The life God has planned for us cannot be builded upon a weak, negative foundation. It must have the sure foundation of a positive, strong Christian character on which to build. We must give care, prayer, and much thought to the laying of this foundation.
Then a general education is essential, and the amount and kind of education we acquire will have considerable to do with our success or failure. We are living in a day of keen competition. Efficiency is demanded in every line. Every young person should by all means acquire a grammar-school education, complete high school, and if possible go through a good college. There are specialization schools for various vocations that fit one for his life-work. This program may seem lengthy, but time consumed in preparation for such an important matter as a life-work is never lost.
With a good Christian experience as a groundwork, a good general education, and the will to work and win, we are on a fair way to success. While acquiring this education we can use our talents, and most of us will know pretty well by the time we leave high school or before what our qualifications are and for what we are best fitted. The main trouble is that too few lives are planned. We drift along, grapsing at whatever happens to come within our reach, with little thought of a life-work.
