The Burdens We Carry
The Burdens We Carry
By Tami Allen
Recently I saw a video circulating on social media of Baarack the sheep. Somehow, I missed it when it originally went viral in February 2021, but Baarack was a sheep that was found in the Australian Bushland by a construction worker and brought to an animal sanctuary called Edgar’s Mission. You see, Baarack had been wandering on his own for quite some time, and he had a unique problem. Because he hadn’t been sheared in many years, his wool had grown matted and thick, and covered his entire body, including his eyes and ears, making it extremely difficult for the animal to survive. Baarack was desperately in need of food, water, and a shearing when they found him.
His caregiver at the sanctuary said of Baarack’s condition: “Not long after Baarack came here, we realized he was in big trouble. He was so close to passing away. His wool was such a heavy burden on him. He couldn’t see. And he was exhausted from years of struggling to find food and water...For starters, sheep can’t breathe with all that warmth on their back. It’s really difficult for them to see and find food. Sheep are herd animals—and he didn’t have any of his kind around him—which is really stressful for him. He had to make do with the company of wild animals. There’s not much grass in the forest, and there’s barely any water. He’d just been finding puddles to drink water. He’s been a very resourceful boy.”
When I watched the video of the lifesaving care they gave Baarack as they sheared nearly 80 pounds of wool from that poor sheep, it actually made me weep. Tears fell down my face as I imagined the burden that poor animal had been carrying for all those years trying to survive in the wilderness all alone. Then I began to recognize that those tears were more than just tears for that poor sheep. I think I was emotional because I could see some of myself in Baarack—I think all of us can. Sometimes the burdens we carry are so heavy, and so burdensome, and yet we are left to carry them all alone. There are also times when each of us may fail to recognize, or to help alleviate the burdens that those around us might be carrying.
Sometimes the heavy burdens we carry are because of sin, or our own poor choices—but many times we carry heavy burdens that are no fault of our own. The fallen world we live in has no shortage of suffering. People may have handicaps or illnesses that burden them and others who are caring for them. They may suffer physical or emotional abuse at the hand of a loved one. They may suffer consequences from the poor choices of others. They may be fleeing war or oppression, or trapped in poverty and poor living conditions, barely able to survive on their own. While Baarack’s condition was visible to those trying to come to his rescue, so many of the burdens we humans carry are not visible. We carry them silently, praying for rescue and relief that sometimes never comes. Just like that poor sheep, we may feel lost and alone, and left to fend for ourselves in a harsh environment.
It is no mistake that the Savior consistently taught using the metaphor of Shepherds and sheep. Maybe that is another reason the story about Baarack touched me so deeply. In an address called “Shepherding Souls”, Elder Gary E. Stevenson said:
“As children of a loving Heavenly Father and as sheep in His flock, we enjoy the blessing of being individually ministered to by Jesus Christ. Simultaneously, we have a responsibility to provide ministering assistance to others around us as shepherds ourselves. We heed the words of the Lord to ‘serve me and go forth in my name and…gather my sheep’. Who is a shepherd? Every man, woman, and child in the kingdom of God is a shepherd. No calling is required. From the moment we emerge from the waters of baptism, we are commissioned to do this work. We reach out in love to others because it is what our Savior commanded us to do…Whenever our neighbors are in distress temporally or spiritually, we run to their aid. We bear one another’s burdens that they may be light. We mourn with those who mourn. We comfort those who stand in need of comfort. The Lord lovingly expects this of us. And the day will come when we will be held accountable for the care we take in ministering to His flock.”
Barrack’s suffering was ultimately eased by loving caregivers who took hours upon hours to cut through almost 80 pounds of matted wool. That wool was stained with dirt, studded with twigs, crawling with insects and maggots, full of feces and urine, and smelled horrific. Years and years of neglect had caused this poor sheep unimaginable trauma and stress. Had Baarack been human, I imagine he would have been humiliated and embarrassed to have people see him in the condition he was in. But I believe this is just one more beautiful lesson we can learn from this story. When our Savior bids us to come unto Him, He doesn’t care what condition we are in. He doesn’t care if we are clean and pure when we come to Him—in fact, He knows that we won’t be! That is the point! We can come to Him at our worst, and because of Him we can be made whole again. He will literally take the burdens from our backs and cut through years and years of neglect and filth if He needs to, to free us from whatever weighs us down.
Matthew 11:28-30 contains some of the most beautiful words uttered by the Savior for those of you carrying heavy burdens that you just can’t bear to carry any longer: “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. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Elder David A. Bednar explains:
“There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you and I will ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness, we may cry out: ‘No one knows what it is like. No one understands.’ But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands because He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only on our own power.”
Indeed, His yoke is easy and His burden is light. And yours can be too.
About Baarack:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CLDJh9EjK_B/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CNRgi0ZjPr4/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvc6-_KOAJ0
That Your Burdens May Be Light
