”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.” (KJV Matthew 11:28-30)
The children of Israel faced many difficulties in the wilderness. They murmured against the Lord because of the challenges they faced. The murmuring did not bring relief but the Lord sent fiery serpents among them, which killed many. He then had Moses put a bronze fiery serpent upon a pole and anyone who was bitten by a fiery serpent could look upon the fiery serpent on the pole and be healed (see KJV Numbers 21:4-9). Jesus used this as a type and foreshadowing of himself (see KJV John 3:14-16) that anyone who believes in him might look to him and live.
Alma expounds upon this incident by saying, “But there were many who were so hardened that they would not look; therefore, they perished. Now the reason that they would not look was because they did not believe that it would heal them. O my brethren, if ye could be healed by merely casting about your eyes that ye might behold, would ye not behold quickly?” (LDS Alma 33:20-21, RE Alma 16:32).
So what is it that a person can do today to cast about their eyes quickly to be healed? Amulek explains, “For behold, now is the time and the day of your salvation. And therefore, if ye will repent and harden not your hearts, immediately shall the great plan of redemption be brought about unto you” (LDS Alma 34:31). How quickly can the plan of redemption begin to take effect in your life? Amulek says it can happen “immediately” upon repenting and softening your heart. You know what is amazing about that, is that it really is true. The plan of redemption really can begin to take effect “immediately”.
The joy of Christ is kind of an unusual thing really. On the surface, it doesn’t make much sense. How could burden’s be made light and healing begin by looking away from problems and focusing on something else?
From my experience, it’s not that the problems will just go away or fix themselves. In fact, sometimes they get worse. What changes is something inside of me. I can go from being very upset about a wrong or injustice that I feel I’m suffering, to being calm and peaceful inside. It doesn’t necessarily change the wrong, or injustice, but it can change how I feel about it. Instead of festering, making me irritable or murmuring about it, if only in my mind, I can find a calm peace or strength that allows me to bear the burden, even if I would rather have the burden be removed. Most of the time, the burdens aren’t removed. But they can be made light, so I can bear them.
As Alma said, “may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do, if ye will.” Look to God, and live.