The Value of Good Work

A quarter of a century ago, Neal A. Maxwell made this statement: “Work is always a spiritual necessity even if, for some, work is not an economic necessity.” 1 This principle still applies today. As God designed it, good work—that which is valuable and contributing—is a necessity for happiness.

Thomas S. Monson put it this way: “God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged and the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that man might know the joys and glories of creation.” 2

Since the beginning, good work has been an important part of our growth and progress. 3 God has given us the gift of work, knowing there is great value and learning in the process of working through a challenge. It’s through good work that we are stretched, enabling us to achieve accomplishments and advancements we might have never dreamed possible.

In our day, work is often associated with financial reward and income. But good work is worth so much more than money. The fruits of our labors can bring a sense of purpose and fulfillment and can build resilience and discipline. Good work enables us to develop and refine our character.

Our work is much more than just our occupation. In the words of Thomas Carlyle, “All true work is sacred.” 4 Our good work can be sacred. A busy parent taking time away from the demands of the day to pause and talk with a child, a neighbor sensing a need and taking action, a young person joining forces with friends to serve others—these are examples of good and sacred work.

Wherever we may be or whatever our circumstances are, we can choose to be engaged in good work. There is great value in good work, and good work will always pay a return dividend in helping us become all that we can be.

References1. Neal A. Maxwell, “Put Your Shoulder to the Wheel,” Ensign, May 1998, 38.2. Thomas S. Monson, “In Quest of the Abundant Life,” Ensign, Mar. 1988, 2.3. See Moses 5:1.4. Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present (1844), 141.