by Danielle Ellis

Work plays a huge role in our lives. Parents try to teach their children to work. Young adults go out into the world to find their first “real job,” and plan to work for forty years or more. Older adults plan ways in earnest that they can support themselves without “working.” We buy special clothes for our work, buy cars to take us to work, buy pricey educations to help us get better work.

But most people will confess they’d rather be sitting on a sandy beach watching the world go by than “working.” We resign ourselves to the fact that we have only a precious few days each year when we are free from work. Or, in the case of mothers with young children, we know that even though the “paycheck” will never be direct-deposited into the bank, the work will go on 24/7 for years to come.

So what is work, really? Why do we have to do it? Can we get out of it? How should we feel about something that will take up the majority of our lives on earth? What if our work still is not done when we leave this earth—must we take it with us?

To answer these questions, I turned to the scriptures. It turns out that the Lord set an example for work, and gave counsel on work long before there was such a thing as a cubicle, a retirement plan, or even Joneses to keep up with.

Endless Creativity

As God showed his creative works to Moses, He made it quite clear that he has been working forever, is still working now, and will be working into the infinite future. “Look and I will show thee the workmanship of mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end…And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son.” (Moses 1: 4, 6). As His children, we all have a “work to do,” in addition to our ability to support ourselves.

The most obvious to us of God’s work is the earth on which we live. We know that God the Father and Jehovah “created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest.” (Moses 2:1). Talk about project management! The knowledge required to create an earth, plus the complex interaction of climates, ecosystems, food chains and more required to fill it with life was immense, and all in a day’s work.

Rightfully so, the Lord was pleased with His work. At seven points in recounting the creative process of the earth, He told Moses “all the things which I had made were good.” (Moses 2:4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31.) According to the Lord, a job well done is no small matter; it is a great accomplishment for us to be pleased with.

Current Work

The Lord has a big job on his plate right now: “this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1: 39) And since the Lord is doing his part, he is clear that we must do our part as well. “For they shall be judged according to their works, and every man shall receive according to his own works, his own dominion, in the mansions which are prepared.” (D&C 76: 111).

Some will argue the “works” referred to in Moses are more spiritual in nature. Okay, maybe. But what about God’s commandments to Adam and Eve? They are very temporal in nature.

“And I, God, blessed them, and said unto them: Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Moses 2: 28).

“And I, the Lord God, took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it, and to keep it.” (Moses 3:15)

Those commandments were given before the Fall, when Adam and Eve were still in Paradise. After the fall, even more work was expected of them. “By the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou shalt return unto the ground” (Moses 4:25).

Interestingly, rather than being upset by the increased workload of manual labor and a young and large family, Adam found joy in it. “Adam blessed God and was filled, and began to prophesy concerning all the families of the earth, saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.” (Moses 5:10). The Lord’s point seems to be that we can, indeed should, feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and receive great outpourings of it, even in the midst of our busy, work-filled lives.

When Will It End?

Jesus was very clear during His life that He was here “to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.” (John 4:34). In the Great Intercessory Prayer, Jesus acknowledges that he has completed His work on earth: “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (John 17: 4).

While Jesus and others have clearly known that their work on earth was complete, many people have missions that extend beyond the veil. We know that the gospel is preached on the other side of the veil, and many prophets have returned to the earth to complete work in other dispensations; among them Moroni, John the Baptist, Peter, James and John, Moses, Elias, Elijah. Given the rapidly-expanding pace of family history and temple work, I’m sure there are many who are still working hard millennia beyond their mortal lives.

Back to our questions, what is work, really? Work is temporal and spiritual, and a commandment from the Lord. It began before the creation of this earth and its heavens, and will go on long after our mortal days here are done. The Lord does it, and He has commanded us to do it too. That means we must participate in everything from sweating to produce our daily bread to seeking the Lord’s spirit and His blessings.

Can we get out of it? I guess we can avoid some of the work we have been commanded to do, but we will be rewarded eternally in line with our work on the earth. That’s enough to make me want to kick it up a notch! To know that I am being tested and tried in this short period of mortal life in order to determine an eternal reward also makes me realize how serious the Lord is about work.

To know that our work is part of our eternal destiny, whether we complete parts of it in this life or the next, makes me realize even more keenly how individual we all are. The Lord has given each of us specific calls, areas of responsibility, dominions and jobs.

If the work was assigned by the Lord, I guess in addition to all His other titles, we could also call Him “Boss.” Are we living up to his expectations? Do we deserve the big incentive package He has promised to those who complete their work with faithfulness and joy?

Next time I think of my daily work as drudgery, I’ll remember I’m in practice to earn a great reward. I’ll keep my shoulder to the wheel, and a smile on my face.