That Your Burdens May Be Light

I really enjoyed this talk by Elder Clayton. One of the comments that stood out to me the most was,

"No matter the burdens we face in life as a consequence of natural conditions, the misconduct of others, or our own mistakes and shortcomings, we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father, who sent us to earth as part of His eternal plan for our growth and progress. Our unique individual experiences can help us prepare to return to Him. The adversity and afflictions that are ours, however difficult to bear, last, from heaven’s perspective, for 'but a small moment; and then, if [we] endure it well, God shall exalt [us] on high.' We must do everything we can to bear our burdens 'well' for however long our 'small moment' carrying them lasts."

He also mentioned the story about the people of Limhi, who were put under taskmasters and were forbidden to pray. In my study journal the other night I wrote down a pattern that I have notice while reading the standard works. It's one of those snowball-effect patterns where if you do "a", then "b" happens and if you do "c," "d" happens. Confused? So am I. Below is the pattern that i wrote out.

The 4-Step Deliverance Pattern
1. Stay Obedient (Mosiah 24: 9-10)
The people of Limhi were required to do a lot of hard things. However, they did not retaliate or react to their situation, they acted which leads us to step 2.

2. Keep Praying (Mosiah 24:10-12)
This principle has 2 parts. The first is that regardless of our circumstance or situation, whether we are burden free or "in the gall of bitterness and endless wo," we shouldn't get in the habit of only having true and sincere prayers when things are going wrong. We, like the people of Limhi must strive to "pour out our hearts to God" whenever we pray. The second part is coupled with the first. It is that we do not have to kneel down and vocally pray to the Lord for him to hear us. In this story it says "He did know the thoughts of their hearts."

It reminds me of the PPI Elder Christopherson had with President Packer. He shared this in the Irvine 1st Ward combined High Priest / Elders Quorum lesson. President Packer asked Elder Christopherson how his prayers were going. Taken back by the agenda behind this question, Elder Christopherson answered to the best of his ability. After answering, President Packer then asked him a soul searching and life changing question. A question that I pose to each of us. "How much time do you let pass in between your prayers?"

3. Faith, Works & Patience (Mosiah 24:13-17)
Eventually the Lord came and not only comforted them, but did deliver them out of their trials. I believe that deliverance came because they kept their composer, they continued to pray, continued to listen, and continued to submit themselves (cheerfully) to the will of the Lord, even though it was a bitter cup to drink. As it was with them, so it will be for us... he will provide a route for our escape from whatever bondage we may be under.

4. Gratitude In The Valleys of Life (Mosiah 24: 21-22)
Dad shared a quote with me once and it went something like this. "Whenever you see a man at the top of a majestic peak, remember that he wasn't just placed there."

We won't always be soaking up the rays on the Mountain Tops of life. Essentially, to reach those majestic peaks of life, we must learn and grow through the valleys of pain, heartache, and humility. The people of Limhi taught me to "pour out my thanks to God because he has been merciful unto [me], and eased [my] burdens"

"Through it all, the Savior offers us sustaining strength and support, and in His own time and way, He offers deliverance." - Elder Clayton

-Zach

That your burdens may be light: Elder Clayton

This talk reminded me to face trials with a cheerful heart just like the mission story goes, "happy trials." I loved that he included this powerful testimony from The Book of Mormon:

Mosiah 14:14-16

"And I will also ease the ^aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as ^bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their ^cafflictions.

And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did ^astrengthen them that they could bear up their ^bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with ^cpatience to all the will of the Lord.

And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage."

There is a GREAT Mormon message by Elder Holland that reminds us to look to the light. Watch it and like it.

-kira

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y22ItxCz0_k

Hold On A Little Longer

There are many beautiful promises and principles within this article. However I chose to focus on the one that stood out to me (Zach) the most.

"If ever you are tempted to become discouraged or to lose faith, remember those faithful Saints who remained true in Kirtland. Hold on a little longer. You can do this! You are part of a special generation. You were prepared and preserved to live at this important time in the existence of our beautiful planet earth. You have a celestial pedigree and therefore have all the necessary talents to make your life an eternal success story." - President Uchtdorf

Number One: The Lord Has Faith In You

One of the recurring principles taught throughout all of the scriptures is that; the Lord believes and has faith in each one of his children, regardless of the circumstance. Sometimes the Lord will ask his children to undertake difficult tasks; Peter was asked to walk on water, the saints were asked to sacrifice their time and money to building a Temple that most knew would be destroyed, the early pioneers were urged to keep walking... What difficult task is the Lord asking of you today?

The Lord has made it clear that he does not judge us according to our resume. Meaning, he doesn't pay a whole lot of attention to the distance, or surface we walk on in life, but rather if we walk at all.

The other night as I was reading the scriptures, I came across a verse in Mosiah...

"And it came to pass that the people of Limhi began to drive the Lamanites before them; yet they were not half so numerous as the Lamanites. But they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight." - Mosiah 20:11

There is a parallel that can be found in this story. Whether you were just given the dreadful news that you had 3 months to find a new job, an expected mother, wondering if she is prepared to take on the task of bringing in a new child of God, or simply having a hard day; regardless of our circumstance or situation, certainly we can relate to the out-numbered people of Limhi.

Perhaps when we are in these "walk on water" situations, we can look to the people of Limhi for strength and learning. Remember, they fought for their lives, their families and also note that they "exerted themselves." We, like the people of Limhi must fight with passion, courage and most importantly with a purpose.

After pondering that scripture, I realized 2 things. One, that in order to win a fight, or overcome a difficult task, one needs to have clear vision that leads to a clear destination. Number two, the exerting of oneself is usually what it will take to get to that destination. And so in my "Study Journal" (thank you PMG) I wrote...

"Fuel can be found in a clarion cause."

That might not mean anything to anybody else, but to me that was the spirit telling me that regardless of where you are in life and no matter what you are being asked to do, if you excercise faith to hold on a littler longer, the Lord will provide you with the fuel (strenth / stamina/ spirit ) to endure and to overcome whatever the obstacle or challenge may be.

-Zach

Hold on a Little Longer

President Uchdorf ...dfa.sf.ad.faf.a.fa.f

Hold on a little longer by President Uchtdorf

"Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me” (D&C 88:63)

I like how in this talk he speaks of holding on especially in times of financial difficulty. He also mentioned that our testimonies need to be recaptured daily and that will be our only means of survival. It is so true that when you are closer to the Lord you really can endure ALL trials faithfully.

-Kira

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Coming soon ...

-Reuben