Helen Chick
Recently I attended a meeting at which someone highlighted a little quote from Elder David A Bednar’s April 2014 conference talk in which he said “Happiness is NOT the absence of a load”. The talk is worth reading (see here) but the little quote got me thinking in a slightly different direction.
As some of you may know, I enjoy bushwalking. Among my favourite trips are the extended journeys that involve a night or two or three away, necessitating the carrying of a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleepmat, a stove, cooking accoutrements, fuel, sufficient food, and other essentials (like my camera and tripod!!). Despite advances in gear design this stuff isn’t lightweight (in total, at least), with my pack usually weighing around 20kg. I heave it onto my shoulders and adjust the straps, but no matter how I try to balance the weight the fact is that it weighs 20kg, I HAVE to carry that 20kg, it isn’t going to stop weighing 20kg, and my shoulders and knees are going to TELL me (in no uncertain terms) that I am carrying 20kg. There IS a moment of bliss, after I’ve been trudging for an hour or two, when I stop for break and take off the pack. For a fleeting second it seems that I will float away; for just a moment leaping freely like an enthusiastic ten-year-old suddenly seems possible … and then it is time to haul on the pack again, ease it into a different uncomfortable spot, and continue on my way.
It would be easy, if carrying the burden of a 20kg pack was the sole focus of the exercise, to come to hate bushwalking and to wonder about its purpose. However, the purpose of bushwalking is not carrying a 20kg pack. Carrying the pack is necessary, and must be done, but it is not the purpose.
There are, indeed, other far more significant moments of profound satisfaction. These are the fiery sunsets, the dramatic waterfalls, the mountain-top vistas, the wild rugged coastlines, the peaceful forests, the distant horizons, the soaring eagles, the shy wallabies, the cute-but-sneaky possums, the tiny toadstools, the jeweled tarns, the unexpected rainbows, the craggy silhouettes, the golden dawn, the sandy beaches, the companionship of friends, and the attainment of journey’s end. These I experience WITH my pack, as I take the time to notice the wonders along the way. These I experience BECAUSE of my pack, since I would not, and could not, be in the vicinity of such beauty unless I carried the pack.
Because I have made the choice that I want to see and experience these amazing things the pack “comes with the territory”. There is no journey without it; indeed, there is no reward without it.
We all chose to come to earth, because we knew that it would provide us with amazing experiences and opportunities. It is our journey. We knew, too, that it would involve burdens: things that would make it harder, perhaps, but which might also make us stronger. Some of these challenges are substantial, and make my 20kg pack look like a feather. However, while it might be nice to have no load, the fact is that we can have happiness WITH the load. The journey is worth taking, there are things along the way that will uplift us, guide us, bless us, delight us. And, yes, we can be happy even with the burdens. The burdens come with the territory, they are part of the journey … but they are also what allow us to make the best journey since the Lord knows our strengths. He will help us bear our burdens, indeed, He will take some of them from us; we can also be among those who will bear up others and help them. Moreover, just as my bushwalking rewards cannot be attained without carrying the pack, some of life’s blessings only come because of the burdens we bear.
May you be blessed with strength to find the happiness in, around, and beyond your burdens. May the journey bring joy now and in the eternities.
Note: The Relief Society Thoughts posts are reprints of little mini-sermon/parable/homily-thingies that I’ve been writing for the women in my Relief Society group at Church. I write them when inspiration strikes and email them out as well as posting them to our facebook page. I thought I’d add them to my blog as well. You can find others by clicking on the “Relief Society Thoughts” category label, in the grey box at the end of this post, and the most recent of the thoughts should have a list of all the posts by title at the end. Previous posts are:
Some things we can’t do alone (Jan 2015)
New Year’s resolutions and fireworks (Dec 2014)
Faith, Hope and Charity at Christmas (Dec 2014)
Charity and hebe (Oct 2014)
Getting our priorities straight: Mary, Martha and us (Sep 2014)
The stinging nettles in my garden (Aug 2014)
The black Sunday shoes (Jul 2014)
An unspectacular sunset (Jul 2014)
On not doing ALL the things (Jun 2014)
Gulp! I didn’t see that coming (Mar 2014, which sort of explains the job of “Relief Society President”)
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