work

The Blessing of Work

Bishop H. David Burton: The Blessing of Work
Six Days Shalt thou Labor: Artists capture the joy, power, and beauty of work

The Days of Whine and Roses: Socialism and the evils of the dole

Work is not a matter of economic need alone; it is a spiritual necessity. In these stormy economic times, surely the commandment to work is among the commandments the Lord is prepared to help us keep.  ~Bishop H. David Burton

Self-reliance is a product of our work and undergirds all other (LDS) welfare practices. It is an essential element in our spiritual as well as our temporal well-being. ~Thomas S. Monson

No one needs to sail alone in today’s troubled employment waters. ~Bishop H. David Burton

The Lord doesn’t expect us to work harder than we are able. He doesn’t (nor should we) compare our efforts to those of others. Our Heavenly Father asks only that we do the best we can—that we work according to our full capacity, however great or small that may be. ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Those who are unafraid to roll up their sleeves and lose themselves in the pursuit of worthwhile goals are a blessing to their families, communities, nations, and to the Church. ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Work is an antidote for anxiety, an ointment for sorrow, and a doorway to possibility.
~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much  more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration.
 ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

It is not enough to want to make the effort and to say we’ll make the effort. It’s in the doing, not just the thinking, that we accomplish our goals. If we constantly put our goals off, we will never see them fulfilled. ~ Thomas S. Monson

Work can be ennobling and fulfilling, but remember Jacob’s warning not to “spend. . . your labor for that which cannot satisfy.” (2Nephi 9:51) ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

 The righteous work we do within the walls of our homes is most sacred; its benefits are eternal in nature. It cannot be delegated. ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Let us not devote our God-given talents and energies solely to setting earthly anchors, but rather let us spend our days growing spiritual wings. ~Dieter F. Uchtdorf


Work is a continual burden, but it is also a continual blessing “for our sake,” for it teaches lessons we can learn only “by the sweat of [our] face.”  ~L. Whitney Clayton

Thank God every morning when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done, whether you like it or not. Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know. ~Charles Kingsley

Work: Adam's Blessing

When Adam and Eve were banished from Eden, God told Adam, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake. In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou eat bread.” This law has never been revoked, and we still eat our daily bread, only by some version of the sweat of our brow. It is fascinating to consider how this law functions when unhampered by re-invention efforts.

At times our understanding of the “for thy sake” part gets washed away with the sweat of our daily labors. “Sake” is defined as “good, advantage; personal or social welfare, safety, or benefit”.

It is work that feeds and clothes our loved ones. Work builds our homes. The benefits of plumbing, communication, transportation, light, and health all are results of someone’s work. Those who do their work well prosper as they meet the needs of more and more people.

In Aesop’s fable of the grasshopper and the ants, the grasshopper neglected his work and went hungry. He did not understand that he could not prosper if his actions benefitted no one but himself. If he had done some hard mental work and figured out how to make his singing and dancing benefit others, he could have prospered and put food on his own table.

When the work we may have done for many years is no longer needed, we are confronted with uncomfortable choices. Changing realities teach us that we cannot continue doing the same thing over and over, and expect different results. We must either learn how to perform a new service that will benefit more people than our current work does, or perhaps go hungry.

There is a benefit clause in this seemingly relentless and sometimes overwhelming law. Throughout history, civilizations have prospered or failed in proportion to their observance of this law. When we obtain blessings, it is by obedience to those eternal laws, which were made in heaven, for our sakes. So as we persevere in faith, and determination to obey, we discover how marvelously this heaven-ordained principle works. We bless the lives of others by meeting some need through our work, and in turn we acquire the capacity to provide sufficiently for our temporal needs. We also experience other “side benefits,” as work ennobles our own and other human spirits. Blessings obtained by faith and obedience are as enduring as the irrevocable eternal laws upon which they are predicated.

Back to Lesson 3  Teaching Youth Better Morals
Dinner Talk Topics: Work, dealing with change, obedience, service