In the Book of Mormon, at the Waters of Mormon where Alma the prophet baptizes those that he was teaching in the wilderness, Alma rehearses the covenant we all make with the Lord when we are baptized. Starting in Mosiah 18:8 we learn how we are willing to bear one another’s burdens that they may be light or that the Lord will make our burdens light as we exercise our faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement.

Also, in the Book of Mosiah in chapter 14 is one of the Isaiah chapters that speaks in great detail of the Savior’s suffering, and specifically in verse 4, Isaiah describes carrying our sorrows and bearing our griefs. A part of the Atonement is bearing our burdens if we serve one another and through faith let the Lord carry us or lighten our load.

There are two illustrations on making our burdens light that follow chapters 14 and 18 in Mosiah. One is the story of how Limhi’s people are delivered from their burdens, and the other is how Alma’s people are delivered from their burdens.

In Mosiah 21:5-15, Limhi’s people are in bondage to the Lamanites, due to fulfilling the prophecy of Abinadi that wicked King Noah and his people would be enslaved due to their wickedness. Limhi, son of King Noah, is a very good man, but inherits this mess from his father and recognizes that his father and the people are wicked. Limhi’s people murmur much because of the burdens and try three times to free themselves from their captors by going to battle against the Lamanites only to fail each time. They are finally humbled and submit themselves to the Lord, and again due to their previous wickedness, the Lord is slow to hear their prayers. Eventually, he softens the hearts of the Lamanites and makes their burden lighter. An inspired Gideon comes up with a plan to make the Lamanite guards drunk with wine and Limhi’s people gather their belongings and are lead back to the Land of Zarahemla while the guards are in a drunken stupor.

Alma’s people, who fall into bondage to the Lamanites in the wilderness, handle their burdens of enslavement quite differently. In Mosiah 24:8-16, Alma’s people are under the rule of the Lamanites but to make matters even worse the Lamanite king has put Amulon, a former wicked priest of King Noah’s, and colleague of Alma, as the taskmaster over Alma’s people. Alma’s people don’t murmur, but immediately humble themselves, and submit themselves to the Lord. They cry unto the Lord, but Amulon will have none of that and he forces them not to pray at the peril of their lives. But Alma’s people continue to pray in their hearts. The Lord immediately strengthens Alma’s people that they can bear up their burdens with ease and “they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord”. Then the Lord causes a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanite guards and Alma and his people depart for the wilderness, and they arrive also to the land of Zarahemla.

So what do we learn between these two events? It is always better to stay valiant to our covenants. Murmuring never works and only delays the Lord’s help and deliverance. Taking matters into our own hands usually ends up in disaster. One must be humble and submissive to the Lord’s will. Even when we are unwise, or make poor decisions, the Lord never forgets about us and will eventually deliver us from our burdens. The more we live the gospel, rely on Him, and keep our covenants, the Lord is quicker to help and deliver us from our burdens. A cheerful and thankful attitude can make all of the difference. The Lord literally fulfills the baptismal promise in the covenant to lighten our burdens when we keep our covenants.

We all carry burdens, but the questions are how did we get to that point, and how are we dealing with it? What else can you see and learn between these two examples?