I have read the Book of Mormon passages telling the story of Alma at the Waters of Mormon many times and with great delight. Alma invites those gathered at the Waters of Mormon in a beautiful way to be baptized.(1) One Verse reads, '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. …'(2) To me this had always meant that we as members of the Church of Jesus Christ help lighten the burdens of others. Later in the book of Mosiah, the people of Alma came into Lamanite bondage and was severely afflicted by the Amulonites, so much so, that they pleaded with the Lord for help.(3) The Lord answered their prayers and made their burdens light.(4)
For me, this has always been a remarkable part of the story of the people of Alma. In the Gospel of Matthew we read, '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.'(5)
I had always known in theory that the Lord can ease the burdens of His people, and I had seen it in practice, when members of the church helped and stood by each other.
But when, after five years of illness, my wife passed away from cancer two years ago, I experienced the darkest days and and most sorrowful hours of my life up to that point. In those hours and days, members of my family and the Church stood by me and bore me up. I am grateful to all of them. To avoid being home alone, I used almost every spare hour for Church service. That worked well for a while, until one Sunday night, when I returned home from an assignment to preside over a stake conference.
That night I was overcome with grief over the loss of my beloved wife, to whom I had been married for many years. I was also haunted by fear of the future, of being alone and by profound sadness and depression. For 48 hours I could neither work nor eat nor leave the house or do anything else. Then, when it became unbearable, I remembered Paul saying, 'God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able',(6) and also the scripture in Matthew came back to me.(5) In my despair I felt that I was at exactly that point and needed help. So I knelt and said a prayer, pleading that my burdens be made light, and then said a second prayer, pleading that through the atonement of Jesus Christ my burden might be lifted from me, so that I could carry on with my life. After that second prayer I felt a great peace wash over me. The darkness, sorrow, and pain that surrounded me faded. Instead of the darkness, my immediate surroundings were bathed in bright light, and my burdens were lifted off my shoulders. Moments later I was able to fulfil my normal duties and tasks and did so with a prayer of gratitude in my heart. After experiencing and seeing the atonement of Jesus Christ cleansing people from sin und thus healing them all my life, I could finally experience for myself that His promise to make our burdens light is yet one more facet of the Savior's atoning power. He has not only suffered for the sins of the world but also borne our burdens and pains and our suffering.(7)
Thus, I testify that I know that the power of the atonement of our Lord is real, and that it can heal and unburden and bring peace to each one of us. 'If you are lonely, please know you can find comfort. If you are discouraged, please know you can find hope. If you are poor in spirit, please know you can be strengthened. If you feel you are broken, please know you can be mended.'(7)
1 Mosiah 18:8-14
2 Mosiah 8:8
3 Mosiah 24:12-13
4 Mosiah 24:14
5 Matthew 11:28-29
6 1 Corinthians 10:13
7 Broken Things to Mend, Jeffrey R. Holland