This is based on the talk given by Camille N. Johnson, “Jesus Christ is Relief”.
Life is hard. It just is. It was meant to be from the beginning. Every quest to prove yourself is. We came to earth to prove our faith, to learn, grow and change to become more like our Heavenly Parents. It’s why we are here.
We chose to come, we shouted for joy at the opportunity. How we live, how we face the challenges this mortal life gives us, how we endure are all our own choice.
Sister Johnson speaks of four friends who carried their friend on his bed to Jesus. This man’s life was hard. He could not do things on his own. The friendship he had with the four who carried him was precious because I am sure it helped him endure the hardships that he faced.
“The friends in their efforts to care for the one in need, they found the source of relief; they found Jesus Christ.”
“Jesus Christ had provided the hoped for healing – physical relief from pain and the crippling consequences of chronic disease. Significantly, the Savior also provided spiritual relief in cleansing the man from sin.”
Sister Johnson continues, “I testify that Jesus Christ is relief. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we may be relieved of the burden and consequences of sin and be succored in our infirmities.
And because we love God and have covenanted to serve Him, we can partner with the Savior to help provide temporal and spiritual relief to those in need – and in the process find our own relief in Jesus Christ.”
Jesus Christ is the relief that we seek as we face the mountains and valleys that encompass our lives. He shares His strength so that we can endure the hardship of the climb. He rejoices with us as we take in the vistas that are the reward of the climb. He shines brightly as we travel in dark places, even when, especially when those dark places are within our own heart. He provides hope abundantly for the future not just in mortality but for eternity. He provides forgiveness for our sins and teaches us with compassion how to forgive those that have hurt us. This is the relief that Jesus Christ provides.
Sister Johnson states, “Our beloved prophet, Russell M. Nelson, invited us to overcome the world and find rest. He defined “true rest” as “relief and peace.” President Nelson said, “Because the Savior, through His infinite Atonement, redeemed each of us from weakness, mistakes, and sin, and because He experienced every pain, worry, and burden you have ever had, then as you truly repent and seek His help, you can rise above this present precarious world.” That is the relief Jesus Christ offers us!”
Sister Johnson then talks about the backpacks we carry and the types of rocks that we each pack into our backpacks. She mentions three types of rocks.
“Rocks there of our own doing because of sin
Rocks in our backpack because of the poor decisions, misconduct, and unkindness of others
And rocks we carry because we are living in a fallen condition. These include the rocks of disease, pain, chronic illness, grief, disappointment, loneliness, and the effects of natural disasters.”
We all seek relief. Relief from sin, relief from our own mistakes and choices, relief from the pain caused by others. Relief from heartbreak, grief, illness and the natural challenges and problems that accompany mortality.
No matter what the rocks you carry are. No matter how long you have carried them. “…the rocks in our figurative backpacks need not feel heavy. Jesus Christ can lighten our load. Jesus Christ can lift our burdens. Jesus Christ provides a way for us to be relieved of the weights of sin. Jesus Christ is our relief.”
Our covenant relationship with our Savior binds us to Him. In doing so we enter the yolk together and pull our load with His strength and not just our own. This covenant relationship is meant to strengthen us, heal us, purify us, and sanctify us on our mortal journey. We were never meant to walk alone or bear burdens that we could not bear by ourselves.
“So why are we stingy with our rocks?” Why do we hesitate to share the load with the Savior? Why do we not simply sit with Jesus by the side of the road and unload our backpack and give Him the rocks that weigh us down?
I have a hard time admitting that I cannot do it all myself. I feel like I should be able to do it on my own. At those times I struggle to remember that Jesus Christ is not just my Savior but also my older brother. Like any good older brother He does not want to see me struggle without the offer of help.
For me this process starts, continues, and ends with prayer. It also entails the use of my God Jar. It is a beautiful glass jar that sits behind a picture of a woman at Christ’s feet in my bedroom. It is where I give the Lord all of my many rocks. It takes time for me to truly let go and hand a rock over to the Lord. As paradoxical as it is it is easier to hold on to pain and hurt, to guilt and sorrow than to let it go.
To heal, to grow, to turn to the Lord and our Heavenly Parents we must let all our many rocks and burdens go. We must give them to Him and learn from Him how to face, heal, forgive and endure the pains, sorrows, and challenges of mortality.
Sister Johnson states, “Choosing to be bound to my savior, Jesus Christ, through the covenants I have made with God, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”
In the Book of Mormon; the people of Alma were burdened and persecuted. They were forbidden to pray vocally. However they “did pour out their hearts to God; and he did know the thoughts of their hearts.”
It has always struck me that this people who were persecuted and tasked with burdens that were heavy to bear for both body and soul poured out their whole heart to God. They told Him all of their hurts, all of their fears, all of the heartache, all the desires of their soul. All the burdens of their souls and all of their thoughts. They didn’t withhold anything. They didn’t hide anything. They gave it all to God, every last pebble that they carried in their backpack was laid bare and given to God.
We need to do the same. Don’t hold anything back. Give it all. Our elder brother Jesus Christ has the strongest shoulder you could lean on, the warmest embrace, and the most reliable hand to help you on your way.
“And 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 their burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs.
And their burdens were made light, and the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord.”
The people of Alma were covenant makers and keepers. Through their covenants they found relief in Jesus Christ. They “received relief in the form of comfort, increased patience and cheerfulness, an ease in their burdens so that they felt light, and ultimately deliverance.”
Sister Johnson defines relief as, “…the removal or lightening of something painful, troubling, or burdensome, or the strength to endure it. It refers to a person who takes the place of another. It is the legal correction of a wrong.”
Jesus Christ truly is our relief. He removes and lightens our burdens and pain. He strengthens us to help us endure. He died for our sins and He fulfilled the laws of God so both justice and mercy could be served and met.
While Jesus is our relief we by virtue of our baptismal covenant are each other’s relief. “We are a conduit through which He provides relief. And so like the friends of the man with palsy, we “succor the weak, lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” We bear one another’s burdens and in so doing fulfill the law of Christ. As we do, we come to know Him, become like Him, and find His relief.”
If you are curious about the law of Christ as I was, the reference is Galatians 6:2 which says, “Bear ye one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.” The word burdens is highlighted and when you click the link it takes you to the topical guide for the word compassion.
Compassion is the law of Christ. When we show compassion we fulfill the law of Christ and in so doing provide relief for one of our brothers or sisters. In showing compassion we are acting in love and we are following Jesus by emulating His example of how to love one another.
I testify that relief can be found, hearts can be mended and we can be made whole by Jesus Christ. I know that the covenants we make bring us relief in whatever form we need. Keeping and living those covenants bring strength, peace and His guidance through revelation into our lives. They make us happier and our mortal journey easier to endure. I pray that each of you find the relief you seek in Jesus Christ and I do so in His name Amen.
