Someone stood at our tiny wards pulpit and spoke words that ripped into my heart like wildfire.
I sat on the pew put together in every way on the outside. Tights on, mascara on, kids snacks packed, prayers said, scriptures studied, here and ready to worship.
“Let go the stones that weigh you down.”
He spoke of sin, sorrow, and our imperfectness that we experience as living and breathing humans pictured as small or large stones, an analogy I have often thought of but had forgotten until he spoke.
I often feel that I’m walking through life with stones collecting in my pockets and in my shoes. A large few in my arms and in my hands. I carry them picking up new ones each day.
At times I drop a few through prayer and the Atonement. Sometimes when they fall I leave them be and continue walking on my path.
But more times than not, I hold on to them. Maybe they’re my favorite. Maybe they define me. Maybe I just don’t know how to let them go.
So as the simple yet deeply profound words were said today “let go of the stones that weigh you down” my heart cracked open and I could almost visibly see the collection of small stones and rocks sitting on my lap and in my boots.
He then said quietly looking down at the pulpit “it’s not really our place to hold on to them anyways.”
I felt tears threatening to surface.
Our Savior lived and died and suffered for those stones. He beckons us to come unto Him, to leave our burdens at His feet. He opens His arms to our broken and our imperfect and our all.
I don’t have any perfect solutions or a three step program to make this real in my life, or yours.
I just know, that the humble speaker this morning was right. These stones that weigh us down aren’t meant to be carried around with us for forever, they were always meant to be forgiven through the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We were even meant to forgive ourselves.
May we let go of each stone that weighs us down, pulls at our hope, and chips away at our wholeness. And fully embrace the One who loves us personally, in real and tangible ways.
Less stones in pockets, more forgiveness.
Happy sabbath. 💛
