My current Old Testament progress:
Judges 6
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Well, Joshua is now behind me. What an amazing man!
If you remember, Moses' parting words to the Israelites were all about rebellion. Despite everything the Lord had done for them--keeping their shoes and clothing from wearing out, providing them with food, water, and everything else they needed in the wilderness--they were extremely rebellious.
When Joshua took over, the Israelites were finally allowed to conquer the promised land. Joshua was forty when the forty years in the wilderness began. After five years, they had conquered a number of cities, and Joshua was now eighty-five years old. The Israelites had to continue to defeat their enemies, and it appears they were at war for thirty years, for Joshua died when he was 110 years old.
He left quite a legacy:
"And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel."
So what changed? This is the very same "Israel" that Moses rebuked in my previous post. Why the change? What had Joshua done that was so miraculous?
Yes, Joshua set a wonderful example, and that cannot be discounted. However, I, personally, think the way Israel was given the promised land had a lot to do with it. The Lord didn't just hand them the land. They had to work thirty years to drive out the inhabitants. Yes, the Lord went before them and fought with them. But He didn't fight for them. They had to do it for themselves.
Sometimes we want life handed to us on a silver platter. Wouldn't it be nice to have every necessity of life handed to us? To have our clothes and shoes never wear out? To have breakfast appear every morning? To have a clean spring of water come out of a rock when we're thirsty?
Yet, with all of those blessings, the Israelites murmured, rebelled, and sought after false gods. They were lacking something. What was it?
Could it be the gospel of work?
"I do not believe people can be happy unless they have work to do. One can really be more of a slave to idleness than to work. Work also keeps us humble and reminds us of how all our blessings come to us from our Heavenly Father."
Neal A. Maxwell's words ring of truth. I've recently adopted nine values for my family, and one of them is work. For, I truly believe that:
"The gospel of work is a very important teaching of the Church. 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."
Yes, even Jesus Christ learned an earthly trade, and toiled under the guidance of his earthly father. Service is work. Temple service is called temple work. Serving in the missionary program is called missionary work. Even Heavenly Father works. Yet He also refers to his work as his "glory."
I'm pretty sure that He doesn't think of work as drudgery. I tend to feel that way many times. The Gospel Principles manual teaches us:
"One way to enjoy life's fullest benefits is to learn to love work."
I really struggle with loving work. Because I don't. I love the end result, but I don't enjoy the process much. I'm working on it--especially now that I've learned the importance. This story is a great one:
"A traveler passed a stone quarry and saw three men working. He asked each man what he was doing. Each man's answer revealed a different attitude toward the same job. 'I am cutting stone,' the first man answered. The second replied, 'I am earning three gold pieces per day.' The third man smiled and said, 'I am helping to build a house of God.'"
When I clean my house, I'm not scrubbing floors or washing dirty dishes--I'm creating an environment for my children, my husband, and myself where the Spirit of God can be present. I'm setting a good example for my children, and teaching them to value work. I'm learning how to become more like God. I'm overcoming my weaknesses and learning how to make them into strengths.
And I get to enjoy the fruits of my labors.
Technorati: Work, Joshua, Old Testament, Neal A. Maxwell
1 comment:
When I was younger, I didn't care much for work at all, but I've noticed that over the past few years (starting when I was 16 or 17, but still mostly dormant until I was on my mission), I've come to love work. So yes, it is possible. :) Not that all work is always fun, of course, but I now find joy in cleaning toilets and weeding and all sorts of things that I avoided like the plague when I was a kid. It's great! Work truly can be a source of joy, and when you get to that point, life becomes really, really good. (Not that it isn't good before that, of course, but I think you know what I mean. :))
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