Saturday, January 30, 2016

Rest of the Lord

Moroni 7: Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven.

I loved this scripture because it talks about our receiving rest now not just in the after life. I have spent almost 6 years of my life pregnant and about 6 years of my life with a newborn/ infant in my home. This means that sleep is very important to me because I have known many years that I have not had enough.

On my mission there was a saying that you were "sleep-full" like in English when say we have eaten enough we are full. There were many years when I was sleep empty. 

I need 8-9 hours of sleep. And I found when I had a newborn or infant if they could just give me 3-4 hours in a row I could function pretty well. 

But the rest I am desiring now is different, it is a more spiritual rest than physical. It is a rest that the Savior talks about in this scripture.

Come unto me, all ye that labour 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” (Matthew 11:28–29).
I also loved this definition by President Joseph F. Smith: “To my mind, it means entering into the knowledge and love of God, having faith in his purpose and in his plan, to such an extent that we know we are right, and that we are not hunting for something else, we are not disturbed by every wind of doctrine, or by the cunning and craftiness of men who lie in wait to deceive. We know of the doctrine that it is of God, and we do not ask any questions of anybody about it; they are welcome to their opinions, to their ideas and to their vagaries. The man who has reached that degree of faith in God that all doubt and fear have been cast from him, he has entered into ‘God’s rest’” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 56).
This rest is what my soul seeks and desires to feel peace and quiet. It is a Heavenly Gift that comes to my soul as I make time to "feast upon the words of Christ". 
I loved the talk Rest unto your souls from the 2010 General conference. This was my favorite quote.
"The promise to enter into the rest of the Lord, to receive the gift of peace, is far from a temporary, worldly satisfaction. It is indeed a heavenly gift: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). He has the power to heal and to strengthen the soul." Per G. Malm Rest unto Your Souls  OCTOBER 2010
This is also very related to the Sabbath day as a day of Rest. I loved The Sabbath Is a Delight By Elder Russell M. Nelson April 2015.
One of the things I do that steal my rest and peace are worrying about things out of my control. A good friend after listening to me worry about something I had no control over said " You will just have to trust the Lord." I said 'Oh yes I know." Then she looked right at me and said "No, I mean you will have to trust the Lord!" At that moment I realized she meant I had no other choice. I had to trust the Lord because that was all I could do. This is where the rest part comes in. I was fretful and anxious-- But as soon as she showed me the uselessness and waste of all that energy I was able to give it to the Lord and trust that He was on it in all the ways I could not be and so many more that I was not even able to understand or know about. He was perfectly powerful to take that burden upon his ample shoulders and let me "bear a song away" instead. 

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