All Who Are Heavy Laden

All Who Are Heavy Laden
By Kenyon Cox

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Matthew 11:28-29
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Some burdens are visible: illness, loss, the daily work of caring for someone we love. Others—like regret, uncertainty, loneliness and the fear that we are falling short—are carried more quietly. Into all this weariness the Savior extends a personal invitation: “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

There is profound tenderness in this call. He invites all who feel heavy laden—people already struggling under the weight of life. And this invitation to rest is universal. David B. Haight observed that the Savior did not say “‘all who are perfect come unto me’ or just the rich, or just the poor, or just the healthy, or those without sin, or those who pray the longest, or just the sick. His invitation is to all.” Howard W. Hunter similarly taught that the Lord’s call “was and is a universal appeal to all people, to all cities and nations, to every man, woman, and child everywhere. In our own great times of need we must not leave unrecognized this unfailing answer to the cares and worries of our world. Here is the promise of personal peace and protection." We need not first compose ourselves, resolve every doubt or become someone more deserving of His attention. As Dane Ortlund has written, “You don’t need to unburden or collect yourself and then come to Jesus. Your very burden is what qualifies you to come.”

Notice also what He offers as relief. He does not promise a life without a yoke. He instead offers to share His. President Hunter described Christ’s yoke as “the power and peace of standing side by side with a God” who supplies the support, balance, and strength we need in “the hardpan field of mortality.” A yoke joins two people together. When we are yoked with Him, we never pull alone. Sometimes, His rest comes as relief, and our burden is lifted. Other times it comes as strength we didn’t know we had. In either case, we are promised rest from whatever burdens we bear. Dallin H. Oaks has taught that “the healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ—whether it removes our burdens or strengthens us to endure and live with them—is available for every affliction in mortality.” Matthew records that great multitudes followed Jesus and “He healed them all.” Alexander B. Morrison promised that as we come, “He will strengthen your shoulders to better bear your burdens and give you new courage and hope for the journey ahead.”

So, what does it mean to come unto Him? It means to pray honestly, to repent willingly, to learn of Him and to trust that He meant what He said. Whatever you are carrying today, whether grief, weariness, worry or regret, bring it to Him. Coming unto Him often begins with a small, honest prayer: This is what I am carrying. This is what I am worried about. Please help me.

He describes Himself as “meek and lowly in heart.” We can approach Him with those parts of ourselves we find hardest to reveal. The One who asks us to come understands the weight we carry. We can bring it to Him
today, trusting His promise of rest for our souls.

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