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 will find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
This well known passage of scripture has always brought hope and a feeling of safety. A feeling similar to when I go to my parent's home. For years I packed up my little family to make the drive to their farm up on the hill. Each mile my anxiety and stress would dissipate and comfort would fill me. We would visit together, play together, cook together, and clean together. I knew the time there would be a rest from my daily life. My parent's would lift my burdens and make them easier to bear.
Jesus asks us to take his yoke upon us and learn of him.
This means to humbly do his will and allow him to guide and direct our lives.
Lesson 10 for Gospel Doctrine today goes on to talk about what Christ did on the Sabbath Day.
He healed, blessed, taught, fed, and in all he glorified God.
I surely had never put the two ideas together...Take My Yoke - Keep the Sabbath Day Holy
At least not in such a direct line.
His Yoke is to be taken each week on the Sabbath Day.
We can begin literally by partaking of the Sacrament and taking His name upon us. A weekly reminder of his invitation to Come Unto Him.
To heal, bless, teach, feed, and glorify God in all.
As we emulate him, we learn of him...His Spirit will attend us and our burden's be made light.
One of the additional scriptures brought this lesson even closer to home...
Isaiah 28
13 If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasures, nor speaking thine own words.
14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord have spoken it.
I took the test today, stopped thinking of the list I had in mind of MY study time, MY quiet time, MY day of rest and instead tried to bless, teach, and feed my family. I am not sure I accomplished any healing or Glorifying, but I do know I had a more delightful Sabbath. Silly how often I forget that by looking outside myself I can find peace....I forget how quickly my Savior will lighten my burden.
I no longer pack up my family and drive 60 miles to that corner of paradise. My kids are leaving the nest and my parents now live less than 10 miles away. The feeling of safety and rest still resides at their home, but I am finding it is now my turn to create that atmosphere for my children. I pray I do as well as my parents, both spiritual and earthly, have for me. I pray I can be an example of following the Savior and my children will forever come unto Him, learn of Him, and know of His atoning sacrifice.
