Reflections on work and consecration

Lately I have been thinking about consecration and what it means to lead a consecrated life. At first glace consecration seems to be all about being obviously involved in the Lord's work; things like missionary work, service, calling, visiting teaching, etc. However, the fact is the most of us spend a very small percentage of our time on these activities. I have a full time job and am a part time student. The majority of my time is spent working on things that, in the grand scheme of things, are irrelevant. So what does consecration mean for me.
 
It is no surprise that I found my answer in the latest general conference. Elder D. Todd Christofferson gave a wonderful talk on this very subject. He said: "A consecrated life is a life of labor [...] We naturally desire to participate with Him in His work, and in so doing, we ought to recognize that all honest work is the work of God. In the words of Thomas Carlyle: 'All true Work is sacred; in all true Work, were it but true hand-labour, there is something of divineness. Labour, wide as the Earth, has its summit in Heaven." These opened me up to a new idea that any honorable work is the Lords work.

Elder Christofferson continued, "God has designed this mortal existence to require nearly constant exertion. [...] By work we sustain and enrich life. It enables us to survive the disappointments and tragedies of the mortal experience. Hard-earned achievement brings a sense of self-worth. Work builds and refines character, creates beauty, and is the instrument of our service to one another and to God. A consecrated life is filled with work, sometimes repetitive, sometimes menial, sometimes unappreciated but always work that improves, orders, sustains, lifts, ministers, aspires."

I am beginning to realize that in addition to devoting what free time I have to the Lord's work, we can bring a level of consecration to all the work we do in our life by doing it to the best of our ability, maintaining a high level of integrity, and allowing the experience to refine our characters. I am still sorting out the details of the application of this principle, but I think I am making progress.

I will close my ramblings with a quote from J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings: "Too often have I heard of duty," she cried. "I have waited on faltering feet long enough. [...], may I not now spend my life as I will?"
"Few may do that with honor," he answered.