I Believe 16

On this beautiful Easter Sunday, I am excited to share with you my thoughts on the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Before I begin, I want to share this beautiful video.

(Just a side note about it.  I noticed that it was originally published on April 12 and has already had over 3,000,000 views.  Pretty incredible and wonderful.)

Because of Him, I can be with these hooligans forever and ever.

 Even if I have to leave them before I feel I am ready.

I was married to the Love of my Life in a holy temple of our God by sacred priesthood power and that means that we will be married for time AND all eternity.

That thought gives me so much comfort when my brain starts to take off on tangents...which brings me to another reason I am so grateful for what my Savior has done for me.

Do you like Bailey's photobomb? Lol.

Because of Him, I can truly be healed, inside and out.

And boy do I need it now more than ever.

Since my last post, I have had the opportunity to have an actual therapy session with a professional counselor.  My wonderful husband in his role as my husband and as my Bishop, suggested that maybe talking to a professional would help me to convince my brain of the things that my heart already knows.  He thought that I might be suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), which actually made total sense to me and would explain my recent and frequent anxiety.

So last Thursday, I found myself sitting across from a lovely woman who did confirm that I am indeed suffering from PTSD.

I felt as though the clouds lifted for a moment and I could see clearly some of the things that I need to do in order to help my mind be healthy.

One of those things is truly allowing my Savior to help me carry this burden. 

Why is it as humans that we are so stubborn and think that we can handle everything by ourselves?

I thought of a great analogy today that has helped me even more and that I realized was an answer to my prayers.

Sometimes the girls and I walk home from school.  

One or more of them is usually tired from their long day at school and so I end up carrying a backpack or two.

Do you think they have an inner struggle or wrestle with the thought of handing their backpacks over to me?

Absolutely not. 

They are more than happy to get rid of that heavy thing that is weighing them down.

As soon as I take it from them, they are happy once again.  The complaining about their tiredness stops and they can focus on a pleasant conversation with me about what happened at school that day.

Our trials, troubles, and sorrows are exactly like a backpack.

Sometimes they weigh us down, to the point where we cannot focus on anything else but the weight of that backpack on our shoulders.

In my analogy, I represent our Savior who is there, ready and willing to help us with our load.

But unlike my girlies, who are so ready and willing to hand their loads over to me, we sometimes struggle with handing our burdens over to the Lord.  Or at least giving Him a thing or two from our "backpacks" to lighten that load.

For some reason, we hold on to those loads and think that we have to carry them all by ourselves.

Such is not the case.

We have a loving Savior, Jesus Christ, who suffered for every sin, sorrow, pain and trial that we will ever go through.  He did that for every...single...one of us.

Photo courtesy of altusfineart.com

He is there, ready and waiting, to help us carry our heavy burdens and we can, hand them over to Him without any second thought.

We don't need to have that inner struggle or wonder if this trial is "big enough" to have help with.

He is there to help us with anything...with everything because He loves us.

Does this mean that all of our trials and sorrows will be taken completely away and we can just skip off into the sunset?

No, it does not.  And I am glad that my trials are not completely taken away because I have learned so much from each heartache, each tear. 

I will end this post with one of my favorite scripture passages from the Book of Mormon.

It is found in Mosiah 24:13-15.  The prophet, Alma, and his people were in bondage to the Lamanite people.  They were having a really rough time and they were "pouring out their hearts" to our Father in heaven, pleading for help.

"And it came to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying:  Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

And I will ease the burdens 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 witnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their afflictions.

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

I testify that this is true for us today.

I know it is true, because it has happened to me.

My burden of cancer has not been completely taken away.

It is something that I continue to struggle with, even though I am not going through active treatments.

But, as I turn to the Lord, He strengthens me so that I can "bear this burden with ease".

Happy Easter everyone!  May you all feel the love of our Savior and Father in Heaven this beautiful Easter day and beyond.  They truly do love each of us and are there waiting to help us, we just need to ask.