Mormon Musings

Work is more than the residual requirement of the expulsion from Eden. The gospel of work is tied, therefore, not only to human circumstances in which work is an economic necessity, but to human nature in which work is a spiritual necessity. It has been said that work is love made manifest. For us to develop and to employ our talents requires us to be employed both vocationally and in the service of others. Our instincts for service would be frustrated if idleness were pervasive. Thus, the curse of idleness is not some arbitrary penalty imposed upon man, but arises out of our very nature. There are both  observable reasons  why we must be especially careful about idleness (along with wealth and power), and  transcendental reasons  why these conditions are a special challenge for “almost all.” It is important to distinguish between the basic principles involved in the gospel of work and the frantic, heedless busyness that some engage in, which crowds out contemplation...

Through normal activity each day, you and I lose a substantial amount of the water that constitutes so much of our physical bodies. Thirst is a demand by the cells of the body for water, and the water in our bodies must be replenished daily. It frankly does not make sense to occasionally “fill up” with water, with long periods of dehydration in between. The same thing is true spiritually. Spiritual thirst is a need for living water. A constant flow of living water is far superior to sporadic sipping. Are you and I daily reading, studying, and searching the scriptures in a way that enables us to hold fast to the rod of iron—or are you and I merely clinging? Are you and I pressing forward toward the fountain of living waters—relying upon the word of God? These are important questions for each of us to ponder prayerfully. David A. Bednar, "A Reservoir of Living Waters", BYU 2007 https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/david-a-bednar/reservoir-living-water/

The Lord has told us how he teaches us... “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more.” (2 Nephi 28:30.)  Therefore, while there are dramatic moments in each of our lives, most individual growth is incremental and quiet. Human growth is not that different, usually, from trying to watch the grass grow. We can’t see it grow, but it grows; and [people you know] will have grown. But it is not something we can usually measure on a day-to-day basis; and yet, when they are righteous, it is relentless.   Neal A. Maxwell

The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained. ― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

 "One of the most important lessons I have learned is that our capacity as children of God becomes what it has to be.  We should never minimize or underestimate our ability to deal with challenges placed before us.  The size or complexity of challenges need not be the cause for alarm or despair.  Human potentiality is perhaps the most squandered resource on earth, and possibly the least tapped."   David B. Haight

[God] experiences a deep, divine disappointment in us when we are ungrateful and when we are unwilling to confess God‘s hand in all things. (D&C 59:21.) But it is because of what our sustained ingratitude does to us, not to Him. Failure to see His hand in human affairs in bringing to pass His eternal purposes and plans in the world (at the same time leaving us to exercise our agency) is a fatal misreading of life. It also represents a profound spur of selfishness and self-centeredness. It is these faults that lead to the celebration of the appetites rather than of spiritual things. And God knows perfectly what the end result of such trends are so far as human misery is concerned. It is our true happiness which He desires for us, His children, and “wickedness never was happiness". Neal A. Maxwell

It would be interesting...if I were to ask one of you to describe the to the satisfaction of all here the color yellow.  Yellow, of course, is a primary color, but it would be difficult for you to describe it to use without comparing it with other colors.  Yet you have no difficulty recognizing yellow when you see it.  We know more than we can tell!  Sometimes the things we know take the form of knowledge about what is happening to us in life in which we sense purpose, in which we sense divine design, but which we cannot speak about with full articulateness.  There are simply moments of mute comprehension and mute certitude.  We need to pay attention when these moments come to us because God often gives us the assurances we need but not necessarily the capacity to transmit these assurances to anyone else.   Neal A. Maxwell, "But For a Small Moment"