My Rock--by Rachel Chase

Depression has been called the “common cold” of mental illness because of its widespread presence in our modern times. During my Sophomore year of high school I was afflicted with the repercussions of depression and there is nothing more discouraging than that feeling of utter hopelessness. I felt alone and lost—lacking a place in this world and a friend to share it with. It was in an hour of this deepening despair that I happened upon a little quote book that my mother had lying on her nightstand. Under my hand it immediately fell open to a page that displayed a picture of Christ along with this little poem:

The Burden Bearer

The little sharp vexations
And the briars that cut the feet
Why not take all to the helper
Who has not failed us yet?

Tell him about the heartache
Tell him the longing too
Tell him the baffled purpose
When we scarce know what to do

Then leaving it all
With the one divinely strong
Forget we bore the burden
And carry away with song


I know that I am not the only one who has often felt discouraged, burdened, or alone. Indeed, these feelings seem to be a component of human existence and at one time or another we all feel them. But to this day, I have never forgotten this little poem which helped me so much in a trying time. If anyone needed the strong, capable hands of the savior, I did. If anyone needed a redeemer and much needed friend to confide the difficulties of life to, I did. If anyone needed Jesus Christ, I did.
However, this discovery did not change my life immediately. Simply to know that I needed Christ’s atonement was not enough; I needed to do something about it as well. Often, this is the hardest part, but it’s worth it. Here’s why:
While Jesus Christ walked the dusty roads of Palestine during his mortal sojourn on earth, he taught to his disciples through a parable, modeling how they should construct their lives. “Therefore,” he said, “whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.”
The rock on which the wise man built his house is a metaphor for Christ. If we build our lives upon Christ—his words, his truths, his gospel—our lives will not be easily destroyed or carelessly washed away in the floods of temptations, storms of adversity.
The savior, C.S. Lewis and countless others used this image—comparing our human lives to the building of a house. Any good builder knows that the first thing he constructs is also the most important part of the building process: the foundation. It is upon the foundation that the bricks, the walls, the doors are built which is why it is critical that that foundation be solid and strong.
Bruce R. McConkie remarked: “Every person born in this world builds a house of some sort and puts it on a foundation of his own choosing. And every house built in this mortal sphere is subject to the storms and strifes of life. Our mortal probation is one in which the divine purpose calls for rain and wind and floods. We live in the midst of a swirling storm of sin. The rains of evil and the winds of false doctrine and the floods of carnality beat upon every house. It is within our power to build a house of faith, a house of righteousness, a house of salvation.”
My favorite hymn is one that illustrates this point in its first two stanzas. On page 85 it reads:
“How firm a foundation ye saints of the lord
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word.”

Christ should be our foundation, the base and most important part of our lives. The truth is, we could not buffer the hard times without him. He enfolds me in endless love and fills my heart with peace when I put my trust in him. No, I have never talked to Christ face-to-face but I don’t need to. He speaks soothing words to my spirit and I know that he loves me because I am keenly aware of his presence during the hard times. We are bought with a price—the blood and very life of our elder brother. He suffered to succor us, and succor he will.
Heleman counseled his own sons about building their lives on Jesus Christ. He said, “And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (Heleman 5:12)
Not just may not, or will not, but cannot fall. Just like the wise man built upon the rock, the storms will not destroy us when we put our faith and trust in the savior. Hard times are inevitable, difficulties are irrevocable, and heartache is unavoidable. But as constant as are the trials, so also is the redeeming power of Jesus Christ whose great sacrifice rescues all of us from our miserable state. It is he who can heal any wound, mend any heart, and save any soul through the blood that he spilt for us. He himself said, “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.” (1 Nephi 21:16) And how can he forget us when the nail prints in his hands and feet clearly testify to all of what he has done for us?
A saying hangs on the wall of the living room in my home in Highland, Utah. It is a scriptural saying, pulled from the last verses in the fortieth chapter of Isaiah. For as long as I can remember, these verses have been my father’s favorite in the scriptures and over the years I have come to love them almost as much as he has. This is what they say:
“He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:29-31)
Waiting upon the lord is the same thing as building a firm foundation on him, the rock of our salvation. He alone has the strength to carry us when weary. And, just as Isaiah promised, if we rely on him he will renew our strength and mount us up with wings as eagles.
I bear my testimony that Jesus Christ is our savior, the redeemer of the world. He sacrificed so much for us and all that he asks is that we turn to him. It is not a hard thing to do, especially when he blesses us with such sweet comfort and strength when we need it most. I love him as my friend and want with all my heart to return into his loving embrace one day. Yes, life is hard. But Christ carries us, carries me, when I feel that the journey is too hard and I cannot go on. I praise and bless his holy name. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Works cited:
-- Bruce R. McConkie, “‘Upon This Rock’,” Ensign, May 1981, 75
--Book of Mormon
--Holy Bible
--“Our Burden Bearer” by Phillip Brooks
--“How Firm a Foundation” pg. 85 of the hymnbook