Bear One Another's Burdens

Mosiah 18:8 And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

9 Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

So, something awful happened yesterday.  And yes for a moment it knocked us on our butts and had us questioning ourselves.  In the end though, it has been shown to be a childish act of attempted intimidation.  Today we are pretty sure we know who was behind it and that is all I want to say about it here.  Our family has been on a roller coaster for the last little while.  I haven't blogged about it, because I have young children who are upset by all the upheaval and I want to avoid unnecessary worry by having them talk to us instead of reading something they may or may not understand completely.

Yesterday, I found the messages received in church especially poignant.  The testimonies of faith and hope shared helped strengthen my own.  The message that our loving Heavenly Father has provided us direction on the path that we must follow to return to Him is comforting.  The organization of His church is perfect.  Our commitment at baptism to take upon us the name of Christ, to always remember Him and keep His commandments and to bear one another's burdens is the heart of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

To me, these words are more than a passive statement of belief.  They are a commitment of action.  I was reminded yesterday of why I love this community that we have chosen to make our home.  Our family has also been blessed with wonderful friends outside the immediate community. I have tried to apologize many times to our friends when events in our lives have spilled over and caused discomfort and stress and extra work for them.  Again and again I have received the reassurance both in word and deed that we are surrounded by individuals who are truly amazing and caring; individuals who have taken the question "What would Jesus have me do?" as the guide for their lives.  Our hearts our lightened by all the love we receive.  

Yesterday, each time our doorbell rang with a new visitor, many bearing treats, our girls would ask why all these people were coming to see us and bringing us so many yummy things.  The answer to that question was because they think your dad is awesome.  As one sweet friend advised, to those who tried to ruin what was a beautiful Sabbath, all I need to say is "God bless."

For a beautiful message on Enduring Together, click here.