Unity

I've just been thinking a lot lately of the burdens we carry that we don't need to - spiritual or emotional rocks in our figurative backpacks that weigh us down. Often we don't realize how much of our energy these are using up every minute of every day.

In Sunday School last week we discussed being born again and having a mighty change of heart.

• Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that “Church members are not born again by the mere fact of baptism alone” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1966–73], 1:142). Besides being baptized and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, what else is necessary in becoming born again? (See John 3:16, 18; Mosiah 5:1–7; 27:25–26;Alma 5:14–35; 22:15–18. You may want to mark phrases in these verses that relate to being born again. A sample list is provided below. The verses from the Book of Mormon clarify what it means to be born again.)

  1. a.

     Believing in Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 18).

  2. b.

     Experiencing “a mighty change in … our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2; see also Alma 5:12–14, 26).

  3. c.

     Being “changed from [a] carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness” (Mosiah 27:25).

  4. d.

     Becoming “[God’s] sons and daughters” (Mosiah 5:7; 27:25).

  5. e.

     Becoming “new creatures” (Mosiah 27:26).

  6. f.

     Having “the image of God engraven upon [our] countenances” (Alma 5:19; see also verse Alma 5:14).

  7. g.

     Repenting so our “garments [are] purified until they are cleansed from all stain, through the blood of [Christ]” (Alma 5:21; see alsoAlma 5:19, 33–34; 22:18).

• •

  Elder McConkie also taught that being born again “doesn’t happen in an instant. [It] is a process” (“Jesus Christ and Him Crucified,” in 1976 Devotional Speeches of the Year, 399). What can we do to continue this process throughout our lives? (See 2 Nephi 31:19–20.)

This week as we fast together as a branch, my focus is on helping to lighten the emotional burdens of the faithful members of our branch. There is such a focus in our church on missionary work - and that is awesome! I love it. My desire is that everyone in the world will feel God's love for them in their life every day.

But I'm seeing more and more that many faithful followers of Christ, many of us who show up every Sunday and live the gospel daily, - many of us are carrying emotional pain, shame, feelings of being unworthy or unlovable or unforgivable, or carrying burdens of pain from hurtful things that happened to us many years ago, or other negative emotions and limiting beliefs. God bless you. I'm so sorry. You are so loved. I pray for you. I pray that together we will be able to partake of the power of the atonement at a much deeper level than we have previously done - that we will be able to drop all of these rocks out of our backpacks that we don't need and let our burdens be lightened by Christ. When we let go of our burdens we will have much greater strength to help those we love.

I believe as we unify in prayer for one another we will see miracles unfold in our lives and in our branch. Then we will be in a position to invite others to join us.

May God bless you with peace and love and joy in your life - everyday!

Love,

Trina