All ye that labor
Since today was the fifth Sunday of the month we had a special meeting with the Relief Society and Priesthood combined. Our bishop spoke, and chose to center his remarks around the Stake's theme scripture for the year:
Come unto me, all ye that labor 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)
We first talked about the word "labor" and it's connotations. At that point I remembered that Joseph Smith used the same word in describing his struggles to find the right church; he says "I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists". Finding a testimony and seeking Christ is labor; it is work. One of the things I really liked about the new video about Joseph Smith the Church produced a few years ago was the way they dramatized Joseph's struggle for answers. They show the passing of seasons and the cycle of farm work that the family engages in. Throughout this entire time, Joseph is also "laboring" spiritually by attending churches, asking questions, reading and pondering. However, when he turns his question over to Christ, his soul finds rest. He cannot find the answer through his own pondering; it takes the intervention of a higher power.
At the same time, while we tend to regard the First Vision as the culminating event in Joseph's spiritual life, it really was only the beginning. He came away from that with more questions and spent the rest of his life involved in the struggle for answers, answers that often just created more questions. This is how my faith has worked in my life; it is a faith precipitated by questions, by doubts, and by work. At the same time, it is also built on a conviction that God hears me and answers my prayers. Josphe had that same foundation; he answered Christ's challenge to take his "yoke" (the scripture footnotes this to indicate a connection with "Christ's name") upon himself, and he found rest. Well, at least rest until some other questions came up. But the fact that we can find rest, that we have someone to help us in all our labors, is a vital part of my testimony. We don't have to labor alone.
Come unto me, all ye that labor 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)
We first talked about the word "labor" and it's connotations. At that point I remembered that Joseph Smith used the same word in describing his struggles to find the right church; he says "I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists". Finding a testimony and seeking Christ is labor; it is work. One of the things I really liked about the new video about Joseph Smith the Church produced a few years ago was the way they dramatized Joseph's struggle for answers. They show the passing of seasons and the cycle of farm work that the family engages in. Throughout this entire time, Joseph is also "laboring" spiritually by attending churches, asking questions, reading and pondering. However, when he turns his question over to Christ, his soul finds rest. He cannot find the answer through his own pondering; it takes the intervention of a higher power.
At the same time, while we tend to regard the First Vision as the culminating event in Joseph's spiritual life, it really was only the beginning. He came away from that with more questions and spent the rest of his life involved in the struggle for answers, answers that often just created more questions. This is how my faith has worked in my life; it is a faith precipitated by questions, by doubts, and by work. At the same time, it is also built on a conviction that God hears me and answers my prayers. Josphe had that same foundation; he answered Christ's challenge to take his "yoke" (the scripture footnotes this to indicate a connection with "Christ's name") upon himself, and he found rest. Well, at least rest until some other questions came up. But the fact that we can find rest, that we have someone to help us in all our labors, is a vital part of my testimony. We don't have to labor alone.
Comments
(Thanks, by the way, for the comments you've left on my blog -- so helpful!!)
:)
but i loved this line:
"it is a faith precipitated by questions, by doubts, and by work"
because that sums me up perfectly as well.
i used to be so jealous of the people who'd say they've "always had a testimony" and "never doubted any of it." but now i feel grateful that i want to learn! (or that i've been forced to learn.)