The principle of work, taught from the foundation of the world, is "the bottom line of any forward motion of success," Elder F. David Stanley said Saturday evening.
Elder Stanley, called to the Seventy last June, noted that Adam was commanded, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread." (Gen. 3:19.)"The frightening disappearance of work as a part of our basic ethic is alarming," he remarked. "We constantly hear the statements, It's too hard,'Give me something easier,' I want it now,'I can't wait that long,' coming from our young people. The ugly disease of nothing to do is growing in epidemic proportions among us. It undermines the basic fabric of our nations."
"We are what we are as a people because our ancestors were not afraid of honest, hard work," he said.
He identified as a common ingredient of success "an understanding of what constitutes paying the price of success. Basic in that formula . . . is an inner grit of determination that I'll do whatever it takes.' That means,I'll work hard, with integrity, to achieve my goal.' "
As a former mission president, Elder Stanley told of a young investigator who, while sitting in a recliner sipping a drink, said it is too hard to read the Book of Mormon.
"This young man had felt the Spirit but, alas, the seed was sown on stony ground and he was not willing to work hard and pay the price to gain his individual testimony. We feared that evening that he may have made a decision that could jeopardize his entire life by the statement, `It's too hard.' "
To missionaries, potential missionaries and their fathers and trainers, he said: "If you want to be successful, start with the bottom line of work."
