Home And Family Education The Value Of Work 6

Home and Family EducationThe Value of Work6"He that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wearthe garments of the laborer" (D&C 42:42).Work, ordained of God from the beginning; brings great blessingsinto our lives and the lives of our families.Work Is Ordained of GodLooking back on her childhood, one Latter-day Saint womanasked: "Can reironing one of Daddy's white shirts until it wasperfect be a blessing? Or getting up to do the washing and ironingbefore school —a blessing? Or peeling beets, shelling peas by thehour, husking bushels and bushels of corn for canning, pickingberries at the crack of dawn before the sun got too hot—blessings?You couldn't convince me then, but you can now. They taughtme great lessons in the value of thrift, work, and responsibility"(Beverly Graham, as quoted by Bishop J. Richard Clarke, inConference Report, Apr. 1982, pp. 111-12; or Ensign, May 1982,p. 78).As with many eternal principles, the value of work may not befully apparent when we are first learning about it. But modernspokesmen for the Lord have repeatedly emphasized the lifelongblessings that come from obeying this fundamental principle.From the beginning, an all-wise Father in Heaven has instructedhis children that honest toil is a vital part of life. As Adam andEve left the Garden of Eden, God explained to them that he hadcursed the ground for their sakes so that they could make it yieldfood for themselves and their children only by deliberate physicaleffort (see Moses 4:23). Later, when Jehovah commanded theIsraelites to rest from their labors on the Sabbath day, he alsodirected, "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work" (Exodus20:9; italics added). In this last dispensation the Lord has said,"He that is idle shall not eat the bread nor wear the garments ofthe laborer" (D&C 42:42).In our own time the Lord has inspired Church leaders toreemphasize the importance of this great principle of self-reliance.In 1936 the First Presidency issued this statement, which has oftenbeen repeated: "The aim of the Church is to help the people to109

The Value of Workhelp themselves. W ork is to be re-enthroned as the rulingprinciple of the lives of our Church membership" (in ConferenceReport, Oct. 1936, p. 3).More recently President Ezra Taft Benson declared: "All weobtain in life of a material nature comes as a product of labor andthe providence of God. W ork alone produces life's necessities" (inConference Report, Oct. 1980, p. 45; or Ensign, Nov. 1980, p. 32).In addition to having intrinsic value, the principle of work is vitalin helping us fulfill other commandments. President Marion G.Romney explained that our productive work helps make it possiblefor us to reach out to others as we have been commanded. Heasked: "C an we see how critical self-reliance becomes w hen lookedupon as the prerequisite to service, w hen we also know service iswhat Godhood is all about? W ithout self-reliance one cannotexercise these innate desires to serve. How can we give if there isnothing there? Food for the hungry cannot come from emptyshelves. M oney to assist the needy cannot come from an emptypurse" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1982, p. 135; or Ensign, Nov.1982, p. 93).A ll H onest W ork Has Value and Deserves Our Best EffortsThe Lord has never said that he values one kind of honorablework over any other. He calls men and wom en from manysecular occupations to serve as leaders in his kingdom. And herefers in his teachings to many different types of workers —thefarmer, physician, shepherd, tax collector, fisherman, and lawyer.Unfortunately, however, through the centuries, false distinctionsand prejudices have developed about various types of labor.Countering these often damaging notions, Elder Boyd K. Packercounseled: "D o not ever belittle anyone, including yourself, norcount them, or you, a failure, if your livelihood has been modest.Do not ever look down on those who labor in occupations oflower income. There is great dignity and worth in any honestoccupation. Do not use the word menial for any labor thatimproves the world or the people who live in it."There is no shame in any honorable work" (in ConferenceReport, Apr. 1982, p. 121; or Ensign, May 1982, p. 84).It is good for wom en to remember that the m anagem ent of ahome and the rearing of children, w hen that opportunity exists,although not a job in the traditional sense, is their most importantwork. President Harold B. Lee emphasized "that the mostimportant of the Lord's work that you will ever do will be thew ork you do within the walls of your own hom e" (Strengtheningthe Home [pamphlet, 1973], p. 7). Like other careers, homemaking110

Home and Family Education Lesson 6requires a broad range of knowledge and skills, many of whichcan be improved by experience and study.W hatever w ork we do, it is important to do our best. Bishop J.Richard Clarke stated: "As Latter-day Saints, if we would betrue to our religion, we must perform high-quality work. It is amatter of integrity. Every piece of work we do is a portrait ofthe one who produced it. We are increasingly concerned with thediminishing quality of work in our society. On every hand we seeshoddy workmanship for which full com pensation is expected,w hether the product meets acceptable standards or not. We mustbe motivated by a higher ideal than simply meeting the artificialstandard of a society which has allowed inferior performance to beacceptable. That is not the Mormon ethic" (in Conference Report,Apr. 1982, p. I l l ; or Ensign, May 1982, p. 78).Balancing Work with Leisure Is ImportantIn order to do our best work, we need to allow for proper restand relaxation as a necessary balance. Bishop Clarke explained:"Proper use of leisure requires discriminating judgm ent. Ourleisure provides opportunity for renewal of spirit, mind, and body.It is a time for worship, for family, for service, for study, forwholesome recreation. It brings harm ony into our life."Leisure is not idleness" (in Conference Report, Apr. 1982, p. 112;or Ensign, May 1982, p. 78).Sister Karen Lynn explained that we must learn "to distinguishleisure from idleness. Let me suggest what I think some of thedifferences are. Idleness puts us in a passive role, whereas leisureusually calls on us to participate mentally or physically orcreatively; idleness merely passes time, whereas leisure fillspersonal needs; idleness occupies us, but leisure renews us; weput the responsibility for filling our idle time on somethingoutside ourselves, whereas we look within ourselves for ourleisure."O f course, these distinctions are ultimately private ones. . . .Leisure may mean the salvation of our peace of mind, our physicalhealth, our individuality; and true leisure will be in harmony withspiritual salvation as well. Fortunate is the family whose love ofleisure activity can unite them in pursuits that are joyous andpraiseworthy and edifying" ("I Have W ork Enough to Do, Don'tI?" Ensign, Aug. 1981, p. 42).Teaching Children to Value Work Is Part of Our ParentalResponsibilityPresident Marion G. Rom ney emphasized the need to teach ourchildren the principle of work. "N eglecting to teach this principlecontributes to many of our present vexations with youth. . . .Ill

The Value of Work"In condem ning idleness in our dispensation, the Lord associatesit with juvenile delinquency and wickedness, specifically withgreediness: 'The idler,' he says, 'shall be had in remembrancebefore the Lord/ adding, ' I . . . am not well pleased with theinhabitants of Zion, for there are idlers among them; and theirchildren are also growing up in wickedness; they also seek notearnestly the riches of eternity, but their eyes are full of greediness.'(D&C 68:30-31; italics added.)" ("Let Us Set in Order Our OwnHouses," Ensign, Jan. 1985, p. 4).We have long been counseled by our leaders: "To teach ourchildren to work is a primary duty of parenthood."Fortunate is the young man or woman who has learned howto work. Wise is the parent who requires children to learnresponsibility and to m eet acceptable performance standards"(J. Richard Clarke, in Conference Report, Apr. 1982, p. I l l ; orEnsign, May 1982, p. 78).As with any principle to be taught, personal example is the keyto com m unicating the message. A child who works alongside anadult in the home or the yard learns how to do the task. But healso may adopt the parent's negative or positive attitude towardthat task—and work in general. Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone toldof a wise father who understood this principle:"Som e years ago w hen Aldin Porter was president of the BoiseNorth Stake, he dropped by the home of Glen Clayton, who wasthe Scoutmaster in his ward. Glen and his son were workingtogether repairing a bicycle. President Porter stood and talkedto them for a few minutes and then left. Several hours later hereturned and the father and son were still working on the biketogether. President Porter said, 'G len, with the wages you makeper hour you could have bought a new bike, considering thetime you have spent repairing this old one.'"G len stood up and said, 'I'm not repairing a bike, I'm training aboy!' " (in Conference Report, Oct. 1976, pp. 153-54; or Ensign,Nov. 1976, p. 103).While president of Brigham Young University, Elder Dallin H.Oaks encouraged the students to take advantage of theiropportunities to improve their minds and skills:"There are few things that give me more pain than to see youngmen and wom en who do not realize their potential, who do not'get their act together' and discipline themselves into the worknecessary to acquire the skills and learning characteristic of a goodeducation. There is too much indolence, too much watching oftelevision, too much sunning on the lawn, too much seeking after112

Home and Family Education Lesson 6pleasure, too much dependence upon the opinions and work ofothers, too little self-reliance" ("The Formula for Success at BYU,"Speeches of the Year 1979 [Provo: Brigham Young University Press,1980], p. 169).Some parents mistakenly believe that they are doing their childrena favor to supply them, without any effort on the child's part,with material goods and services which they themselves did nothave when they were growing up. Doing so may give the childrena false sense of values and a tendency to expect "som ething fornothing" throughout their lives.Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, "If we learn to w ork early in lifewe will be better individuals, better members of families, betterneighbors, and better disciples of Jesus Christ, who Himselflearned to work as a carpenter" ("Gospel of W ork," Friend, June1975, p. 7).Suggestions for Teachers1. Read Moses 4:23. Ask: W hat blessings do we receive because weare required to w ork in our lives? W hat spiritual, emotional, andphysical characteristics do we develop w hen we work?2. Review Bishop Clarke's and Sister Lynn's statements aboutleisure. You may want to assign a sister to discuss how she hasbeen able to use her leisure time in creative and fulfilling ways.3. Read Doctrine and Covenants 68:30-31. Ask the sisters to shareways in which they have taught their children to work hardand feel good about their efforts.4. Ask: W hat values and attitudes are taught by society thatinfluence children not to value work? How can we counteractthese influences?113

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, "If we learn to work early in life we will be better individuals, better members of families, better neighbors, and better disciples of Jesus Christ, who Himself learned to work as a carpenter" ("Gospel of Work," Friend, June 1975, p. 7). Suggestions for Teachers 1. Read Moses 4:23.