You have come to this place in search of release.
You carry many burdens throughout each day,
Like a bag on your shoulders that you strap on each morning before even setting foot out of bed.
Take a moment to get comfortable in a sitting position or lying down.
Allow your breath to slow down.
Bring each breath in slowly through your nose.
And release it through your mouth,
Expelling every bit of it to fully receive each new breath and allow it to cleanse you.
Do this for three more breaths in through the nose and slowly out through the mouth.
In and out.
In and out.
Imagine that you are sitting in a forest wearing a pack.
You are going to unload this pack and rest from its heaviness for a time.
Some burdens you bear are ongoing,
But you are allowed to take this moment to rest from the strain of carrying them.
Take this quiet opportunity to unpack and release the tension beneath it.
See yourself reaching over your shoulder and pulling out a heavy rock that fits in your hand.
This rock represents the first stressor that comes into your mind as weighing you down.
Look at it there in your hand.
What does it need from you?
Forgiveness?
Acceptance?
Patience?
Release?
How long have you been carrying it?
How has it made you a stronger human being?
What does it offer you?
Is this something vital to your life?
Or is it asking permission to be let go?
Think it for helping to shape you into the person you are today.
Imagine now that the Savior appears and sits beside you.
He extends his hands.
You can see the scars forever etched in their palms.
The look in his eyes tells you what you need to know.
Now gently lay the rock into his hands.
Reach into your bag again and pull out the next one.
Ask it the same questions.
Is this something that needs your love or is it ready to be released?
Is it a weight that is necessary but heavier than it needs to be?
Does it need to be washed to remove some darkness that surrounds it?
Does it need forgiveness?
Do you need your own forgiveness for feeling tired of carrying it?
But you know it belongs in your life.
It's okay to be tired.
It's okay to need rest.
Come unto me,
All ye who labor and are heavy laden,
And I will give you rest.
Again the Lord extends his hands before you,
The hands that created the earth and the heavens,
The hands that healed lepers and blind men,
The hands that clasped in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.
With these hands he holds open to you,
And his face holds the invitation to rest.
You place this rock into them.
You are feeling lighter.
You pull out the next worry.
You ask if it is a needful burden,
But this time you ask the Lord.
You ask him in your heart,
Is this needful?
What is thy will for me to do with this weight in my life?
You gratefully and carefully place this too into his omnipotent hands.
Rock after rock you name and you give to your Savior.
The entities may be these,
Tired,
Angry,
Afraid,
Alone,
Unsure,
Inadequate,
Unloved.
Faithfully and patiently he is ready to receive them.
He's been waiting.
Feel the load lighten until you can't feel it on your back.
Feel your face relax.
Your neck and shoulders loosen.
Your hands rest lightly.
Your soul is lightened and freed of its load in this moment of love.
Imagine that you watch as the Savior smiles at you.
Along with all of his other creations,
He looks into your eyes and says,
You are good.
You see yourself in his eyes.
You see a child of God filled with purpose and promise.
You feel a closeness with him as a brother and a friend,
Along with the awe of his glory.
You feel the grace of his infinite atonement giving you strength and peace.
There is a stream running beside you.
See him gather the rocks and hold each of them in turn in the water.
Some of them dissolve in the pure love that flows in it.
Inadequate melts and floats away.
Afraid crumbles.
Unloved disappears without a trace.
Some burdens are washed clean of the dirt that encrusts them.
The fear,
The anger,
The exhaustion.
It is all washed away in the current of hope and love.
To your astonishment,
What lies inside is gold.
He turns to offer you the precious ore that remains,
And you see it now in its true form as a gift.
He holds your hands beneath the weight of the stones that rest in them.
I will ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders that even you cannot feel them upon your back.
Looking at your load,
You are now ready to carry what is required of you,
But no more.
You have shed any weight that held you back from embracing your life and your purpose.
You are full of light.
You are full of faith that he will bear with you the burdens that remain to be carried today and tomorrow.
Now,
As you prepare to open your eyes and reclaim the moments ahead,
Allow yourself to ponder on the thoughts and feelings that are in your heart.
Turn in prayer to God in thanksgiving for his love.
And when you are ready,
Go in peace.
