Hallowed Hands

"No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing" (Joseph Smith). As I read this quote today, the question that came to mind was, Does this mean that a hallowed hand can stop the work from progressing? This brought to mind the quote often attributed to Edmund Burke, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." No unhallowed hand can stop the work of the Lord, but the hallowed hands of those called to the work but nevertheless hang idle can stop the work from progressing. We are not called to labor in the field merely to keep us occupied, nor because it is good for us, but because without the constant labor and attention of hallowed hands the work cannot progress. God needs us to carry out His work. He calls us and He sets us apart and He hallows us so that His work can "go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished and the great Jehovah shall say the work is done." If at times we feel that the work of the Lord is not progressing quickly enough, we ought to examine our role in that work and determine if our hallowed hands could do a little more to move the work forward.