Aren’t You Tired?

For this post, I’m going to put in a plug for a book I recently finished. It is Aren’t You Tired?: Embracing the Lord’s Call to Enter His Rest by Jaci Wightman. 

One of the book’s premises is that we can spend a lot of time doing “good” things but not feeling the peace or rest the Lord promised. 

The Savior offered us rest. “He said, Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” 

But if I approach it with a long checklist of things to do, I may end up just feeling tired of striving so hard. 

There was a group of men who were famous for that. The Pharisees. If following a list of rules is where it’s at, they were the best. And yet Jesus called them out time after time. Why? 

They focused on the letter of the law and not the spirit. They did good to be seen of men. They honored Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from Him. Their hearts were far from him.

So maybe our hearts are the heart of the matter—our desires, our motives, our reasons for why we do what we do. 

For much of my life, I also did good to be seen of men. I wanted their praise and recognition. 

I was like the people who said to Jesus, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will he profess unto them, I never knew you (or as Joseph Smith taught it, ye never knew me): depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” (See Matt 7:22-23.)

Again, I was doing good things, but didn’t really know the Lord. Well, recently I’ve come to know Him better.

Am I saved by the grace of Christ or not? Can I earn my way into heaven? 

Read the book. 

To be continued . . . with Part 94.