Week 36 Day 1

---

The Value of Work

Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 16:11

Love, in an ever-deepening tide,

O’er all the plains above

Spreads, like a sea immensely wide—

For God himself is Love.

Of all the values and principles Lincoln believed in, the idea that a person should work hard was probably the one he believed in most. Abraham Lincoln was a frontiersman, and frontiersmen worked hard just to survive. They built their own homes and plowed their own land. So as Lincoln matured and ultimately became president of the United States, his strong work ethic stuck with him. It was a part of his nature, and it amazed his colleagues who were raised in more abundant surroundings. “The mode is very simple,” he told them, “though laborious and tedious . . . work, work, work is the main thing.” Not all of us have learned Lincoln’s work ethic. But by gleaning his words, we can learn to work, work, work too.