My Brother-in-law has a philosophy: "Work is the answer to everything." If you are depressed, go work. If you are happy, go work. If you don't feel well, go work. If you feel great, go work. If you are hungry, go work. If you are in trouble, go to work. I think you get the idea. I don't fault him, it is kind of how he was raised. Yup, I married into a family of work-a-holics. But this concept of hard work is really something I want to instill into my kids' character. Nothing happens by itself and only through hard work can we attain something great that we are proud of.
This reminds me of the letter President Hinckley's father wrote him after a young Elder Hinckley felt discouraged and wondered if he should continue his mission. This letter was simple: “Dear Gordon, I have your recent letter. I have only one suggestion: forget yourself and go to work” (May 1995 New Era).
Sections 5, 6, and 7 of One for the Money talks about teaching our family, specifically our children about money. As children work hard to earn money and learn that the family is not a money tree that will just "drop green stuff" every so often. Instead, they learn how to earn, save, and spend money wisely. Elder Ashton also suggests that when children contribute to the family welfare, they experience joy and ownership in shared goals.
I challenge you to read these sections and pray about what you can do to help your children (or grandchildren) understand money and become wise stewards over it. Find a way to teach them that only through hard work and discipline can we achieve our goals.
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