Jesus Is Relief, Not Weight - WWTS DAILY - EP 3

John Merrill Kirkman shares a deeply moving message inspired by General Conference: Jesus Christ is not the burden we carry—He is the relief that helps carry us. Through the story of a young boy refusing to remove a picture of Jesus from his overloaded backpack, this episode reminds us that life’s “rocks” will come, but removing Christ from our lives only makes the journey harder. A powerful reminder that true strength, hope, peace, and relief are found by walking daily with the Savior. 

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Transcript

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Jesus Christ is not the weight, he is the relief. This is John Merrill Kirkman with Walking with the Savior Podcast Daily. In a talk given by Brother David J. Wonderley in the April 2026 General Conference, he said, One Saturday morning we decided to make a family hike up a nearby canyon. Our six year old son carefully placed his picture of Jesus Christ in his backpack. That was it. He packed nothing else. When he stopped for lunch along the trail, he got busy finding small unique rocks, and soon he had a large pile of them. He asked me if he could take all those rocks home, and I said, Sure, but you'll have to carry them yourself. He agreed and began filling his pack. Then he carefully placed his picture of Jesus Christ back on top and zipped it up. I lifted the heavy pack, put it on his back, and watched as he took one step forward and five steps backward until he fell to the ground. Undaunted, he opened his pack and removed three small rocks. One more try, one more fail. Now, thinking there might be a lesson to be taught, I lightheartedly suggested that maybe he should remove the picture of Jesus. That should lighten your load, I said. I will never forget the hurt look on his face. It seemed to say, Dad, you really want me to take Jesus out of my pack and leave him behind? In a recent visit to West Africa, Diane and I sat in the home of two young brothers who were being raised by a single mother in humble circumstances. When asked what the gospel of Jesus Christ has done for their family, sixteen year old Joshua simply said relief. As you continue your journey, committed to becoming lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ, know that rocks found along the way will begin to collect in your backpack, some by choice and some by the very nature of your journey in this life. As the weight increases, please remember that taking Jesus out of your life is not the answer. Removing him will not lighten your load. The enemy of happiness wants to separate you from Jesus Christ. He will tempt you to remove the Savior from your life, enticing you to think that the road would be easier without him, that the weight of his commandments is too great, that the path back is too long, that repentance is too hard. Know this, Satan is a liar. Jesus Christ is not the weight, he is the relief. Each morning, as you begin your daily walk, please make sure that Jesus Christ is with you. Then as you face opposing forces aimed at separating you from him, your confidence and resolve will be anchored to his truth, to his wisdom, to him who is all knowing. Your capacity to understand and forgive will be deeper. Your ability to love others and even love yourself will be an extension of his love, his infinite love, and you will have hope, real hope. Keeping Jesus Christ with you requires intentional daily worship. He will guide you through your mists of darkness. Abiding with him eases your burdens. Walking with him shapes your character and helps you become even as he is. It brings you real and lasting joy. Let us allow the Savior to ease our burden. Allow him to help remove the rocks of addiction and the weight of our sorrows. Let him contend with those who would contend with us. Let him cleanse us from our sins again and again. Yes, even again. Let him move the mountains before us and change the course of the powerful rivers in our lives that carry us away from him. Jesus Christ is not the weight. He is our relief. He is our strength. He is the way. May we all walk with him. Thanks for joining us and checking out Walking with the Savior podcast. Be sure to check out full-length episodes where I interview guests on their walk with the Savior. These episodes are designed for quick boosts of spiritual adrenaline to help you on your daily walk with the savior. If you like the show, be sure to leave us a rating, a review, and a comment. We'll see you tomorrow. Enjoy your walk with the savior and remember, you're awesome. Your future is bright when you walk with Christ.