Our burden is Light.

I have been obsessed with a talk by Elder Oaks of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, called 'He Heals the Heavy Laden.' It is pretty fantastic and I think that everyone and their dog should read it! Yes. Your dogs will love it too. Guaranteed. OK. Lets continue about how much I love this talk. I loved it so much because I learned so much from it. It centers around a scripture in Matthew 11

28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 

29. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 

30. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Did you catch the words that stood out to me? I am a huge fan of words and looking at what they mean because it enhances my understanding and helps me to see things in a new way.

So lets start with 'heavy laden'. It is the load or burden that we carry. There are a variety of 'burdens' that have been dealt out to each of us. Elder Oaks gives these as examples: "Some have lost a loved one to death or care for one who is disabled. Some have been wounded by divorce. Others yearn for an eternal marriage. Some are caught in the grip of addictive substances or practices like alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or pornography. Others have crippling physical or mental impairments. Some are challenged by same-gender attraction. Some have terrible feelings of depression or inadequacy." I would like to add feeling helpless. There are so many different ways that we can be and are 'heavy laden', pretty much everyone can identify something in their lives or in the lives of those they love that qualify as being 'heavy laden'. 

The next one is 'rest'. I have a friend who is an expert at this. She loves her sleep and she makes sure that she gets some on a very regular basis. I know that I am now a huge advocate of naps and have no idea why I threw such a fit about it when I was younger. Crazy talk. As I read this scripture many times before that is what I always pictured, a nap for your soul...but I think I was a tad bit off the mark. It stuck out to me this time as I read it and decided to look up the definition. Webster said something like inactivity or to be still. That pretty much went with what I had thought and then I kept reading the list of definitions and I think this one is more fitting: to lean against, to be grounded on or to be fixed to. I know that as we find our 'rest' in Christ we will have a solid foundation on which to lean against. As one of my favorite verses says in the Book of Mormon "And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12) In Christ we shall surly find 'rest' for our souls.

This last one is one that I really want to talk about. 'Light'. I love this word. So much, and for so many reasons. In this scripture the context of this word is obviously meant to mean not heavy or easily endurable. BUT! When this word is looked at with two other definitions we can discover greater depth. The other two definitions are knowledge and a source of illumination or the means for us to be able to see.  As I pondered this new way of looking at it I thought of how Christ is the 'Light' of the world. He makes it possible for us to see the pathway home, our eternal home. There is a quote, I'm not sure who it is by but I absolutely love it. It goes "They not only saw the light at the end of the tunnel but they became that light for others." As we give our burden to Christ, whatever it may be, we then in turn take upon us His 'yoke' which is to be a 'light' unto others and to bring them closer to our Father in Heaven. A way to bring 'light' to others is by bringing them knowledge. As a missionary for the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I feel so blessed that all day we are able to teach people the truth of the restored gospel and bring them the knowledge that they can be with their families forever and how they can get on and stay on the path that leads back to God. When I viewed it in this new perspective I was more willing than ever to give my burdens to Christ and take His 'yoke' upon me. (*Disclaimer: Please don't misunderstand, I in no way shape or form believe that we take any burden from Christ or pay our own way because that is not possible. The burden has already been borne and paid in full. I believe another way to say burden would be to say responsibility. Christ takes our burden and in return gives us a responsibility that will help us to become whole. I really do suggest that you read the talk I mentioned earlier by Elder Oaks. It is amazing and puts this point across so clearly.)

I love my Savior and know that I can find'rest' in Him and that He is my source of 'light'. I know that I don't have to be 'heavy laden' by myself as I seek Him. This Valentines day I plan on letting him know that he means everything to me by striving to be a  'light' for others. I am so grateful for His gospel in my life.

Happy Valentines Day by the way. I used to not like it because it was a reminder that I was alone but this year I know without a doubt that I never have to be alone on Valentines day again because I will be 'yoked' with my Savior. He is constantly standing at my side. Its up to me to make sure that I, in return stand by His.