What I learned

The law of consecration requires that we all contribute. The skills I gain can help others. God wants us to not develop an attachment to material things. Such attachment leads to idolatry and can be more dangerous for us than any of Satan's tactics.

I think having children has cured me of materialism. I know that anything I own can, and probably will be broken at some point by one of them. At least at this point in my life, I see no point in developing an attachment to "things." My children have proven quite thoroughly that they are all temporary.

Joseph Smith said we should endure to the end as good soldiers. Good soldiers don't question orders. They do them. This is a good trait to have.