Further resources and questions to ponder on work

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I know a few of you have been thinking a lot about work, so here's a post with some resources and a few more thoughts to consider.

Is work fun? Is it something you would choose to do if you had time?

When we increased our physical workload by moving here, I think I finally understood why Ben enjoys doing physical work so much. I've really learned to enjoy working and look forward to it. 

-It makes me happy to feel like I am using my body to accomplish something

-It makes me satisfied to start and finish something, or make a lot of progress

-It makes me proud to think that I am using my time in a way that is productive.

Just like those who enjoy a good workout session or love finishing an art project, you can come to see work as an enjoyable part of life that is fulfilling, interesting, and even enjoyable and something you choose to do because you love how you feel doing it. The more things in your life you can be proud of yourself for, I think, the more it keeps you from spiraling downward. We pursue downtime because we are tired, and then we overindulge in downtime which actually makes us feel worse. As humans we are meant to help and build and create, and I believe when we don't spend enough time doing that, we are missing out on a part of life that makes us feel whole. 

President Hinckley said it best, "The best antidote I know for worry is work. The best medicine for despair is service. The best cure for weariness is the challenge of helping someone who is even more tired."

What other kind of work (aside from physical labor) can you do and receive similar benefits, and is also a divine form of work?

I think there's a lot to explore here if you are interested. What inspired me to write my first post was my experience with physical labor, and the spiritual experience I had there that I wasn't expecting. I have pondered what the application is for people who don't have a lot of physical work they NEED to do as part of their life (that is now a necessity for us because we live on 5 acres). I don't really know, but I know that the Lord knows how it applies specifically for you. I know that as you seek to add divine work into your life, you will be blessed and experience the positive benefits from working in a way that pleases the Lord.

How does work correspond with the divine experience of creating?

I think they are related! When I was writing my posts I pondered on Elder Uchtdorf's landmark sermon on partnering with the Lord in creating and being creative. When you are physically working, you are often creating something new or beautifying something. If you're interested in this avenue here is his great talk.

What is the relationship between work and service?

This was something else I pondered when thinking about work. Is working on your home taking away from time you could be helping others? Is it selfish to build and work on your own home and land rather than spend time assisting others? I was surprised by the answer, which I wrote about in my first post, that the Lord was pleased and grateful with my physical labor to beautify and create a place where the spirit can dwell. I think serving others outside your home is important and important to prioritize, but especially as a mother to young children there are plenty of times I need to stay home to take care of them or care for their needs. I felt that instead of spending most of that time at home recreating or keeping them occupied, we can replace some of that overabundance of recreation with physical work. We are trying to get to a consecrated life, and through my physical work I have found that to be an avenue of consecration. 

That begs the question of can you overindulge in physical work? I have been interested in the trend of homesteading or living "off grid" (if you don't know much about those two things, Youtube has one million examples. It's essentially going to back to living the way our ancestors did, growing all your own food, creating your own power, etc.). I don't know the answer for everyone, but as I've pondered it myself, I have thought that that would throw you off balance in the other direction. Now you don't have time to help others, because you are so consumed with caring for your own family. How can you sit at the beside of one in need, or bring a meal to someone else if you have so much work at home you can't even get it all done? I think our modern way of living, while it has plenty of drawbacks and has pulled us away from a lot of physical work that could bless our life, in general it is a huge blessing. Now we have time to look outside ourselves because we don't have to spend all day hoeing potatoes. Now we have time to visit someone lonely because we don't have to chop all of our own firewood to stay warm. We can see that "all things are done in wisdom and order" (Mosiah 4:27) and not cause unnecessary work for ourselves that hinders us from helping others.

Should you force your kids to work? Should they be paid, should it be expected?

I am definitely not the one you want answering this question since I am not a systems or routines person and currently we don't even have any kind of chore system in place. But I just wanted to share some of my experience with working with our kids here on our land.

There is a lot of work that is inherently fun for kids. We had to cover our 13,000 sq ft front lawn with hay since we are reseeding it, and I had the kids each have to cover their own section. It's kind of like a game, and satisfying to see the dirt get covered, and they feel important having their own section. All the kids were so proud of themselves when they were done and felt ownership over their sections. Ben and I didn't complain while we were working, because we were enjoying it. The kids didn't complain either. It took several hours. Afterwards, I went and got everyone blizzards to thank them for doing such great work. We've also had them help with painting, picking up sticks, but in general there's a lot that they can't do or can't help with because it takes expertise or takes more strength than they have. I think there's a lot to be said for, when choosing work projects, picking things that are at their skill level (not too tedious or long) and give them a quick "win" so they feel proud of themselves.

How can work help me?

I love this story from President Hinckley. He wanted to go home from his mission. He said, "I was not well when I arrived. Those first few weeks, because of illness and the opposition which we felt, I was discouraged. I wrote a letter home to my good father and said that I felt I was wasting my time and his money. He was my father and my stake president, and he was a wise and inspired man. He wrote a very short letter to me which said, “Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work.” 

I think, even more than during his time, we now are hyper-focused on ourselves. Doing work is a great way to put your focus on something else and spend time wisely that you might've been stewing on things not going right or worrying about yourself. Work is a good form of self care and a release from negative emotions.

Lastly here's some resources if you want to study more.

Work in the Topical Guide to the Scriptures

Conference talks:

The Principle of Work by Elder F. David Stanley

Reflections on a Consecrated Life by Elder Christopherson

Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel by Elder Maxwell

The Joy of Honest Labor by Elder L. Tom Perry

Great thoughts from President Hinckley on work

Work in the Family Proclamation with examples

An inspiring poem about work: