Avodah is a Hebrew word used in the Bible whose root has three distinct yet intertwined meanings. In some verses the word, Avodah means work, as in to work in the field and to do common labor. To illustrate, speaking to Moses God said, “Six days thou shalt work (adovah).” In other verses, Adovah means service. For example, Joshua declared, "as for me and my household, we will serve (avodah) the Lord.” Finally, Avodah means worship. Such was its meaning when Moses went to Pharaoh and declared: "Thus saith the Lord, Let my people go, that they may serve (avodah) me."
Taken together, Avodah suggests that our work can be a form of service wherein we worship God. Concerning how to worship, we are instructed to offer up sacrifices in similitude of the sacrifice of the Only Begotten. Two words of this instruction—in similitude—are essential. They mean in likeness of, or emulation. “Perfect worship is emulation,” Elder McConkie wrote. “We honor those whom we imitate. How do we worship the Lord,” he added. “We do it by going from grace to grace, until we receive the fulness of the Father and are glorified in light and truth” (McConkie, B. R. (1981). The Promised Messiah: The first coming of Christ. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company., pp. 568-569).
When Adam and Eve were admonished of the Lord, Eve was instructed that "in sorrow" (i.e., in labor) she would "bring forth children" (Moses 4:22) from the dust of the earth (Moses 4:25), whereas, Adam was instructed that "in sorrow" (i.e, in labor) he would "bring forth bread" from the dust of the earth (Moses 4:23, 25). What is often missed in this equation is that both body of man, and the bread of man, are derived from the dust of this earth and that the dust was to come forth into its several shapes and usefulness by the labor, work, or Avodah, of Adam and Eve. In short, "Mother Earth" is more than a beautiful metaphor.
Although Eve's Avodah, labor, or sorrow, lacked duration, it was with an intensity that brought her into the shadow of death. Although lacking intensity, Adam's Avodah, labor, or sorrow, was protracted for a lifetime. And, even while cursed, the ground was also blessed to bring forth beauty and splendor from the labor of the married couple; Adam's labor caused the earth to bring forth its dust to form and sustain the life given by him and conceived and brought forth by Eve. This labor, or Avodah, of Adam and Eve shaped the highest form of their worship, or emulation, of God--the procreative act, whereby, they obtained joy and rejoicing in their posterity. And thus, by labor, sorrow, or Avodah, we worship, rejoice, or Avodah! Indeed, sorrow is rejoicing. Such was the final observation made by Adam and Eve:And in that day Adam blessed God . . . saying: Blessed be the name of God, for because of my transgression my eyes are opened, and in this life I shall have joy, and again in the flesh I shall see God.
And Eve, his wife, heard all these things and was glad, saying: Were it not for our transgression we never should have had seed, and never should have known good and evil, and the joy of our redemption, and the eternal life which God giveth unto all the obedient. (Moses 5:10-11).
This paradox whereby sorrow equals rejoicing is confirmed by the related practice of the Fast, or "afflicting of the soul" (see Isaiah 58:3, compare Leviticus 23:27-29). According to D&C 59:14, fasting, or afflicting the soul, is rejoicing! Such rejoicing or sorrow was experienced by the prophet Joseph Smith as described in D&C 21:8:Yea, his weeping for Zion I have seen, and I will cause that he shall mourn for her no longer; for his days of rejoicing are come unto the remission of his sins, and the manifestations of my blessings upon his works.
Importantly, the joy, rejoicing, or worship that is borne of sorrow, labor, or affliction can only be realized through Him, and the works of Him, who descended below all things that we might obtain a fulness of joy.