As we study Luke 13:10-17 for lesson 10 this week, we find ourselves again looking at the Sabbath day. This time, the Savior has healed a woman on the Sabbath, and received criticism from the ruler of the synagogue. Since yesterday we looked at the idea of keeping the Sabbath, I would like to turn our attention today towards the crippled woman herself.
The woman in the synagogue was “bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.” I wonder sometimes about us. Aren’t there days when you feel bowed down and crushed under by the weight of your burdens? Sometimes, the to-do list, whether mundane or spiritual, can seem so long it is overwhelming. In the talk “O Be Wise”, Elder M. Russell Ballard notes that there will always be more to do when it comes to living the gospel or being a parent. The work will never be done. He goes on to say we need to prioritize, and make sure our focus is correct, which is quite true.
But more than prioritizing, we need to make sure that our focus is on the Savior. Day by day, our burdens will be increased. Unless we have His divine assistance, we can easily be overwhelmed. When we turn our focus towards Him, we will be strengthened. He may take the burdens from us, or He may simply help us to bear them. Either way, the weight on our shoulders and backs will decrease, thanks to His divine love and aid.
This is a wonderful week for me to give this lesson. I am responsible for organizing the Relief Society birthday dinner, which we are holding on Friday. When I was asked to substitute for Gospel Doctrine, I agreed to do so, then went home and burst into tears. However, as I read over this lesson at the beginning of the week and thought upon it, I realized that I was allowing the “little things” to overwhelm me. Not so much in the sense that I was overdoing; believe me, I don’t have the talents or creativity to ‘overdecorate’ and make things look great. I simply felt I had a lot on my plate on all sides. Added to the mix, my husband is out of town all week, leaving me to cope with three small kids who can’t even go outside thanks to the cold.
This lesson has prompted me to look at the things I am doing and remember their purpose. I took all of the tasks that I had broken down and allowed to become discouraging and decided to remember their purpose. All of them, in some way, serve to bring the sisters in our branch closer to the Savior.
I still have the tasks, but the perspective has shifted. Don’t get me wrong, I still feel like I’m roller skating and juggling at the same time. But I know the Savior is there to help me carry some of the weight. Much of the stress has been removed. I’m not completely at peace there, but amazingly, I am much closer than I was two weeks ago, when I had significantly more time to accomplish what I wanted.
When the Savior healed the infirm woman, he noted that she had been bound by Satan for eighteen years (see Luke 13:16). He sought to loose her from that binding, to free her from that burden. He gave her the ability to stand up straight and walk tall – not pridefully, but unbowed by the physical stresses she had endured. We, too, can walk tall, unbowed by the weight of the world that we sometimes feel we carry on our shoulders. All we need to do is turn that weight over to the Savior, to remember why we are seeking out these tasks, and to keep our eternal perspective in front of us.
Personally, I’m looking forward to trying this with my kids…
Related Articles:
Gospel Doctrine: The Great Physician
General Conference: “O Be Wise”
General Conference: “The Atonement Can Secure Your Peace and Happiness”