After Alma spoke to the Zoramites, it's Amulek's turn to speak. In verse 14, he says: "And behold, this is the whole ameaning of the blaw, every whitcpointing to that great and last dsacrifice; and that great and lastesacrifice will be the Son of God, yea, finfinite and eternal."
Here's the explanation to this verse from the Institute Manual: "Amulek declared that the whole meaning of the law of Moses was to point the people to the eventual "great and last sacrifice" of Jesus Christ in Gethsemane and Golgotha. The animal sacrifices, the feasts and festivals, and other daily rituals were full of numerous types and shadows, pointing the children of Israel to Christ. The sacrament similarly reminds us today of the atoning mission of Jesus Christ. Likewise, anciently Passover was a yearly reminder that the Lord brought Israel out of physical bondage in Egypt. Today Easter is a yearly reminder that through the Atonement and Ressurrection of the Lord we can be redeemed out of spiritual bondage."
As I read "physical bondage" and "spiritual bondage" I'm reminded of a talk which I thought of sharing with you today as I mentioned at the end of my blog yesterday. It's the talk of Elder David A. Bednar from the recent General Conference (last month) entitled, "Bear Up the Burdens with Ease."
At the beginning of his talk, Elder Bednar shared a story about his friend. He said, "I have a dear friend who, in the early years of his marriage, was convinced he and his family needed a four-wheel drive pickup truck. His wife was sure that he did not need but merely wanted the new vehicle. A playful conversation between this husband and wife initiated their consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of such a purchase.
“Sweetheart, we need a four-wheel-drive truck.”
She asked, “Why do you think we need a new truck?”
He answered her question with what he believed was the perfect response: “What if we needed milk for our children in a terrible storm, and the only way I could get to the grocery store was in a pickup?”
His wife replied with a smile, “If we buy a new truck, we will not have money for milk—so why worry about getting to the store in an emergency!”
Over time they continued to counsel together and ultimately decided to acquire the truck. Shortly after taking possession of the new vehicle, my friend wanted to demonstrate the utility of the truck and validate his reasons for wanting to purchase it. So he decided he would cut and haul supply of firewood for their home. It was in the autumn of the year, and snow already had fallen in the mountains where he intended to find wood. As he drove up the mountainside, the snow gradually became deeper deeper and deeper. My friend recognized the slick road conditions presented a risk, but with great confidence in the new truck, he kept going.
Sadly, my friend went too far along the snowy road. As he steered the truck off of the road at the place he had determined to cut wood, he got stuck. All four of the wheels on the new truck spun in the snow. He readily recognized that he did not know what to do to extricate himself from this dangerous situation. He was embarrassed and worried.
My friend decided, “Well, I will not just sit here.” He climbed out of the vehicle and started cutting wood. He completely filled the back of the truck with the heavy load. And then my friend determined he would try driving out of the snow one more time. As he put the pickup into gear and applied power, he started to inch forward. Slowly the truck moved out of the snow and back onto the road. He finally was free to go home, a happy and humbled man.
Talking about the lesson that can be learned from his friend, the truck and the wood, Elder Bednar said, "It was the load. It was the load of wood that provided the traction necessary for him to get out of the snow, to get back on the road, and to move forward. It was the load that enabled him to return to his family and his home.
Elder Bednar described our individual load in this way: "Each of us also carries a load. Our individual load is comprised of demands and opportunities, obligations and privileges, afflictions and blessingsblessings, and options and constraints. Two guiding questions can be helpful as we periodically and prayerfully assess our load: “Is the load I am carrying producing the spiritual traction that will enable me to press forward with faith in Christ on the strait and narrow path and avoid getting stuck? Is the load I am carrying creating sufficient spiritual traction so I ultimately can return home to Heavenly Father?”
Sometimes we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load. But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness. Because our individual load needs to generate spiritual traction, we should be careful to not haul around in our lives so many nice but unnecessary things that we are distracted and diverted from the things that truly matter most."
While I was listening to this part of Elder Bednar's talk during the General Conference Rebroadcast, I couldn't contain my emotions...I started weeping because what I heard just hit home for me. I just gained a testimony of its truthfulness through my own experience just recently. There was a point during the past school year that I was feeling like I'm in physical bondage like the Israelites while they were in Egypt and like Alma's people under Amulon's leadership. But because of my load, there are things I've learned which I would never have learned. There are decisions I came up with to be able to lighten my load. Those choices paved the way for me to gain the strength I need to be able to bear up my burdens with ease.
As days go by, I can fill you in on the details of my personal experiences in relation to the chapters we're covering in the Book of Mormon. I hope you are able to get something out of this blog as you follow this every day. Please feel free to share it with others whose spirits need to be fed.
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