Why Work Is Important

The given subject of my lesson is "Why is work an important gospel principle?" and while I plan to spend much of my time talking about how we can make work more enjoyable, or at least more tolerable, I should probably spend at least a few moments answering the actual question. So, why is work important?

For starters, it's necessary. We need to work to make money to survive. For our temporal welfare, and that of our families, we need to work to maintain an income.

Secondly, it takes a good deal of work to progress toward our divine potential. We have to work to develop Christlike attributes and to overcome faults and weaknesses. In order for us to be successful in that endeavor, we need to be willing to work on self-improvement, not only during our lifetime, but throughout the eternities.

And thirdly, on the subject of our divine potential, I'm sure it takes a lot of work to be God. My Mom and I said the other day, not all work is physical. Work includes mental work, social work, and emotional work as well. God's job may not be physically demanding, but I'm sure it takes a lot out of Him, mentally and emotionally. If we're ever going to realize that potential, we're going to need to be willing to put in the work to make it to that point and to continue to work hard when we get there.

Developing a tolerance and a habit of working hard will help us not only succeed in life, but also succeed in our eternal endeavors. To achieve any goal takes work, and that's true for both temporal goals and for goals of a more eternal nature.