Before James Garfield went into politics and became president, he taught at what is now Hiram College in Ohio. The ambidextrous Garfield would amuse his students by writing on a chalkboard with both hands—one in Greek and the other in Latin—at the same time! It is said that on one occasion a father came to Garfield and complained that the academic course at the school was too long and arduous and asked if it could be shortened. “Certainly,” Garfield replied. “But it all depends on what you want to make of your boy. When God wants to make an oak tree, He takes a hundred years. When He wants to make a squash He requires only two months.”
In a world filled with people looking for shortcuts to success and ways to avoid work, we are called by God to work—patiently, diligently, and consistently. Regardless of what those around us do, we have the responsibility to labor and work hard. This is the only path to true and lasting success. There are no shortcuts in God’s economy.