Jesus Christ invites everyone, “Come unto me, all ye that labor 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-29

I have been wondering about certain doctrine, specifically relating to the doctrine of our Heavenly Mother. As I have pondered over these topics I felt enlightening moments.

We know much about Jesus Christ because prophets have been teaching and writing about him for centuries. Multiple people throughout history have seen the Father and the Son, but we know little of our Heavenly Mother.

This is what I have felt as I have studied, and pondered:

While our Heavenly Mother (and Father) have endured an earthly experience, she has not endured our individual earthly experience. She has not felt all of my pain; she has not experienced all of my sorrow.

As much as I want to, I cannot completely understand all of my own children's pain or sorrow. As attentive as I try to be, I can never completely know what they are thinking, or how they are feeling, and why.

There is only one who knows the deepest depths of my heart: He who went to the garden three times in prayer “suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind;…[taking] upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.”

Alma 7 is one of my favorite chapters, “…there is one thing that is of more importance than they all…”

Has he experienced heartburn and morning sickness and pregnancy pains for 9-10 months? Yes.

“And he will take upon him death,”

Has he experienced the suffocating grief a mother must feel upon losing a child? Yes.

“he will take upon Him [Christina’s] infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor [Christina] according to [her] infirmities.” (Insert your name there!)

Has He physically and emotionally felt everything I, and every woman, could ever possibly suffer and be asked to endure? Yes.

Why did He go willingly for me? Why did He choose to feel weight so crushing He bled from every pore?

So that he could “succor” me in my infirmity! So He would know what it physically feels like. So that He could exactly attend to, minister to, care for, bring relief to, comfort, strengthen, and support, me in my needs.

Has he felt loneliness, abuse, addiction, sickness and every other heartbreak that any parent, child, friend, or human would ever experience? Yes.

His atonement is infinite: limitless, endless. By a miracle, and to wholly and completely understand our exact circumstance - to understand you and to understand me - his spirit and His physical body felt all of it.

And He did it out of perfect love for every single human ever born.

He is a gift - our perfect healer, perfect counselor, perfect comforter, perfect consoler, perfect friend. He is the only one who has walked our exact steps, felt our exact feelings - the only one who can take our loneliness, pain, sorrow, and despair and reverse it.

And he earned that right in the garden and on the cross.

So I ask myself: Is there something about His sacrifice that is lacking, that causes me to look elsewhere for comfort, guidance, connection?

What would be my response if He asked me, as He asked Mary Magdelene at His empty tomb, “Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou?”

I believe both Heavenly Mother and Father want us to seek the prince of peace. They point us to the master healer, He who pours out mercy and grace and perfect love. Is that why every time the Father speaks he directs us to His Son, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye Him”?

Everything typifies of and points to Him who pleads with me,

“Come unto me, all ye that labor 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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matt 11:28-29

”We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ…” 2 Nephi 25:26

I know He heals every ailment as we increase our faith in Him, turn our hearts to Him, and try to be like Him.

He is everything.

“O come, let us adore Him” this Christmas season and always. Always. Always.

Thank you for being here.

xoxo,

Christina

P.S. I hope my blog posts invite introspection, study, pondering, and prayer. I hope they lead you, and me, to brighter light - to the brightest Light.

Speaking of lights………can anyone shine brighter than these? They are everyone’s favorites.

día seis

Whom Seekest Thou?

to chase the light