Counsels for the Church - Ellen G. White

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Physical labor that is combined with mental taxation for usefulness, is a
discipline in practical life, sweetened always by the reflection that it is
qualifying and educating the mind and body better to perform the work God
designs men shall do in various lines.
None of us should be ashamed of work, however small and servile it
may appear. Labor is ennobling. All who toil with head or hands are
workingmen or workingwomen. And all are doing their duty and honoring
their religion as much while working at the washtub or washing the dishes as
they are in going to meeting. While the hands are engaged in the most
common labor, the mind may be elevated and ennobled by pure and holy
thoughts.
One great reason why physical toil is looked down on is the slipshod,
unthinking way in which it is so often performed. It is done from necessity,
not from choice. The worker puts no heart into it, and he neither preserves
self-respect nor wins the respect of others. Manual training should correct
this error. It should develop habits of accuracy and thoroughness. Pupils
should learn tact and system; they should learn to economize time and to
make every move count. They should not only be taught the best methods,
but be inspired with ambition constantly to improve. Let it be their aim to
make their work as nearly perfect as human brains and hands can make it.
It is a sin to let children grow up in idleness. Let them exercise their
limbs and muscles, even if it wearies them. If they are not overworked, how
can weariness harm them more than it harms you? There is quite a difference
between weariness and exhaustion. Children need more frequent change of
employment and intervals of rest than grown persons do; but even when
quite young, they may begin learning to work, and they will be happy in the
thought that they are making themselves useful. Their sleep will be sweet
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