How Does the Savior Help Us with Our Burdens?
I used to let my burdens overshadow my testimony of God’s love—until general conference reminded me that I am more than my past.
There are some seasons of my life I wish I’d lived differently.
Perhaps more kindly, more mindfully, or more calmly. And I tend to carry these regrets around with me. I know I am not the only one who has felt this way; we all have those things about ourselves we wish we could change.
But I wondered—how could I set down these heavy burdens?
There Is Hope
Listening to Elder Karl D. Hirst of the Seventy at general conference reminded me that no matter what, even with my regrets, Heavenly Father loves me. And He loves you too.
Elder Hirst said: “You might know something secret about yourself that makes you feel unlovable. However right you might be about what you know about yourself, you are wrong to think that you have put yourself beyond the reach of God’s love.”
And then this really stuck with me: “We are sometimes cruel and impatient toward ourselves in ways that we could never imagine being toward anyone else.”
If someone else made a mistake, I would never demand immediate perfection from them. I would give them the space to grow, to try again, and to be human. Because that’s what Jesus Christ would do.
So why do I always expect perfection from myself?
Elder Hirst’s talk helped me realize that the Savior suffered in the garden of Gethsemane for me. Even though He was the perfect Son, Jesus Christ suffered for my sins and mistakes. Because of this, I now see that my mistakes don’t make me a failed person—instead, when I learn from them, the Lord can teach me how to become a better disciple.
We Are Still His
Elder Hirst taught: “Our Saviour’s love is the ‘highest, noblest, strongest kind of love’ [Bible Dictionary, ‘Charity’], and He provides until we are ‘filled.’ Divine love never runs dry, and we are each a cherished favourite.”
Each of us has the special privilege of developing a personal relationship with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Their love is so strong that we can each be a favorite child of God, like Elder Hirst described.
And nobody is excluded from this perfect love.
The Savior Himself reminds us:
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
“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.
“For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28–30).
Looking back on my life, I’ve realized I have carried the burden of my shortcomings for far too long. This conference showed me that I don’t need to be perfect right now. The Savior already suffered for all my shortcomings, and God wants me to give up my heavy burdens to the Savior through repentance and through my devotion to Him. When I do this, the Savior will piece my broken pieces back together. And He will be there to remind me of one simple truth:
That we can completely trust Him with our burdens.