Placing your burdens on The Lord

[Sunday21]

Many scriptures suggest that we place our burdens on The Lord. Does anyone know the specific steps involved in doing this? I have read conference talks in which it is recommended that we place our burdens on The Lord but what does this process look like? What are the steps involved?

[Finrock]

You may find this discussion on this thread helpful. I'll quote some things that I believe provide at least a start to answering your question.

In many ways for me it has been the realization that I did not have to endure through my trials and suffering alone and God does not expect me to. He doesn't want me to. There are things that I cannot do yet that I ought to do. When I was working to forgive those who had abused me as a child, I could not do it. I asked if Jesus would carry that burden of forgiving and forgetting for a while until I was ready to forgive. I needed to work on many things in my life, a little at a time, and if I was carrying around these burdens I could not even begin to work. Through the power of Christ I felt those burdens lifted from me until I was strong enough to deal with them. It is a real and true power. If our hearts are broken and our intent is sincere and pure, God can carry some of the burden until we are strong enough to work it out for good. Eventually I have to forgive all those who have harmed me. There are many other ways that God lifts our burdens. This is just one example of which I have personal experience with.

Quotes:

Suffering ends when a person changes, or in the gospel sense, when he repents. Thus mercy overpowers justice on condition of repentance (Alma 34:15). But if the person does not change then mercy is bound, it cannot rob justice, and justice has full sway (Alma 42:22). The end of punishment occurs when a person obeys God's law.

Why then the atonement? Why then did Christ suffer? Simply stated, so that he could be at one with us (John 17:11). So that he could be with us infinitely and eternally with us in our fallen, sinful state (Alma 34:12). When you go home tonight, he is with you. When you hurt, he hurts. When you find joy, so does he. Oneness is not mysticism as Elder Holland said, it is simply truth. The D&C says, "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth; which truth shineth (D&C 88:6-7) Thus the door is always open to change. the moment we desire to change we feel the Spirit prompting us forward.

If we compare our suffering with other people then we seem to see a difference. However, we must compare our suffering with that of the Savior. In comparison, our suffering in mortality is meager, no matter the suffering. We must look to the Savior.

When we realize that our suffering has been overcome by the Savior then we can have joy in our suffering. Our trials will be but opportunities for us to grow. They won't seem to us as burdens. They will be light. We won't count them as suffering, but rather as blessings.

When we are in the midst of our worst suffering we are in the midst of working out our greatest blessings if we can but see it with an eye of faith and endure well. God has promised He will overcome our burdens for us if we put our trust in Him. He will make the burden seem light to us. This isn't figurative. It is real. He makes our suffering come out for our good. He means them for our good. It is all meant to save us. He is working to shape us and make us perfect. This life is the time for this to happen and we have the experiences we have so that we can learn to have faith; a faith which leads to knowledge.

I thank God with all of my heart that he sent me to a home where I was sexually abused by my mom and grandma. God could have stopped my suffering. I was 6 years old. I was not sinful. My suffering has been a blessing. No man, no woman, no earthly thing could heal me. My heart was broken and when it was I turned to God. I prayed with all the energy of my soul for relief, and He came and relieved me by the power of His spirit. I thank God for allowing me to experience what I experienced because it is what has allowed me to know God as I do.

Now that I see my suffering through the eyesof faith I can hardly call it suffering. That is the point. Suffering is a blessing and God wants to bless us. We need to develope the skill to see suffering for what it is. It is a matter of faith. It is a shift in how you view life and your circumstances.

-Finrock

The Atonement gives us the peace of mind that is essential during our sufferings. And while to us it looks like one man's sufferings is greater or less than another man's, we truly have no idea what that suffering is like to that individual. It cannot be for us to judge whether their suffering is less than ours. All must go through this life and no one gets out unscathed.

In my studies of the scriptures, some of the most powerful prophets and leaders were those who suffered greatly. It wasn't the act of suffering that made them powerful, it was the fact that through the suffering they learned to rely more heavily upon Christ, they learned that His Atonement covered much more than just repentance, it covers Everything. The plan of happiness, specifically includes the sufferings of this life; it is the peace of Mind that comes in knowing that no matter what happens, no matter the darts, the arrows, the pains that occur in this life, it will all be OK, that there is a God, that there is a Redeemer, that we can have Peace and Joy. Without the pain, the sorrow, the suffering, we can never know what it is like to have true Joy and Peace.

I think in many ways, it can be a problem in the culture of the church. People can equate suffering to sin, so those who are suffering instead of being able to lean upon individuals in the church for support, learn to keep it in and put on a "happy" face for church, yet inside they are being devastated. And while there is definitely a correlation between sin and suffering, the goal is to help others avoid the sin so that they can have that peace of mind and prosper in the land.

My message is that because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, because He went beneath all things, my suffering has turned out for my good. God meant it for my good and that is what it has been. God kept His promise. I am testifying of that.

This life is a test. All things are in order and God is in control. As a sacrifice God said that we must bring a broken heart and a contrite spirit. We can expect to have experiences in life that will break our heart and then it is up to us to choose whether we will have a contrite spirit. God wants us to turn to Him. When we step out of this world, if even in our minds eye, and try to view things from an eternal perspective, our experiences are but training tools. Our suffering and trials, if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ, will refine us. This is what we want! When we see our trials and suffering for what they truly are and when we see ourselves for who we truly are and what we are really doing here on this earth, then we can have joy in our suffering. This is a promise God gives us. It is a true promise.

-Finrock

15 Therefore, let your hearts be comforted; for all things shall work together for good to them that walk uprightly, and to the sanctification of the church.

28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

24 Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.

40 And make proposals for peace unto those who have smitten you, according to the voice of the Spirit which is in you, and all things shall work together for your good.

-Finrock

[Drpepper]

Many scriptures suggest that we place our burdens on The Lord. Does anyone know the specific steps involved in doing this? I have read conference talks in which it is recommended that we place our burdens on The Lord but what does this process look like? What are the steps involved?

I would be very surprised if this question isn't answered at General Conference next week.

[Sunday21]

I am so sorry that you suffered in this way. Thank you for generously sharing these wonderful insights. God bless you!

[abylund]

I\'m loving this thread

[Windseeker]

Elder Bednar spoke to this during the Sunday Morning conference. It was very similar to this. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng

 

His talk spoke about how our burdens act as the traction in life that enables our progress and how taking the yoke offered by the Savior allows us to share our burdens with him, not necessarily place them on him.

 

“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” (Matthew 11:28–30).

[Palerider]

Elder Bednar spoke to this during the Sunday Morning conference. It was very similar to this. https://www.lds.org/ensign/2012/04/the-atonement-and-the-journey-of-mortality?lang=eng

 

His talk spoke about how our burdens act as the traction in life that enables our progress and how taking the yoke offered by the Savior allows us to share our burdens with him, not necessarily place them on him.

 

“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” (Matthew 11:28–30).

You beat me to this.....was going to mention his talk....Thanks for sharing

[Guest LiterateParakeet]

Sorry for responding "late".  I had to sort out some thoughts that were not applicable here to get to the ones that were.  (That does make sense, if only in my own mind. :) )

 

To me what it means to place your burdens on the Lord, is to go to Him with your burdens.  That seems rather obvious, and unnecessary to say, but what I mean is sometimes our shame keeps us from sharing our feelings and problems with Him.  We may feel afraid and think that if we had more faith we wouldn't be afraid.  And yet, as a friend taught me when I was facing some serious health issues, it is through taking those fears to the Lord that our faith grows.

 

Or we might feel ashamed of feeling anger toward Him or toward anyone else and think that we need to repent (on our own) before we can approach Him.  And yet, again it is by bringing that anger to Him that we are able to begin to  resolve it.