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TheDiscipleMD

I think it was my older brother who I first recall telling me to ‘shake it off.’ Usually he told me this after holding me down and pounding on my arm till it hurt so bad I would start to cry.  I think I was six years old at the time and he was around fourteen.  Since then I have been told to “Shake it off” on so many occasions that it has become somewhat of a personal motto.  So, a number of years ago when I heard Taylor Swift repeating  over the radio, ‘shake it off, shake it off’,  over and over on her then new single; I couldn’t help but recall the memories of my youth and the trauma that was usually associated with this phrase.

Now ‘shaking it off’ is a good phrase to have as a personal motto, because life, with all its complexities, will certainly load us down with burdens that, at times, seem unbearable.  When we reach those times in our life when ‘shaking it off’ doesn’t seem to work, perhaps we should look to He who is always there to unburden us from our cares. That, of course, is the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

I think that many of us realize that many of the burdens that don’t shake off easy, are of the personal nature. Mistakes, sins, and errors in judgments bring upon us unwanted burdens that, when added to those not of our making, can produce feelings of depression, worthlessness, and unworthiness.

First, if we follow the words of an ancient prophet who lamented to the Lord:  “Wilt thou make me that I may shake at the appearance of sin… (2 Nephi 4:31), we can be found shaking off sin and its consequences before it becomes part of our lives.  This we can control through agency. As we all fall short and sin,  we can ‘shake sin off’ and all other worldly burdens by placing them on the shoulders of Him who has already paid the price. We have a prescribed method to ‘shake off’ our sins and worldly cares through faith, and a process called repentance. Thousands have testified of the uplifting nature of faith, and the cleansing power of sincere repentance. The feeling you get when you ‘shake off’ your sins and worldly cares and place them upon the Savior is unimaginable.

While my brothers words from so long ago are now the name of a popular pop song, bringing back memories of many a sore arm; the advice is sound and something we should consider using on a daily basis. The atonement is there to be used if we exercise faith in Jesus Christ. What are we waiting for? Let us ‘shake it off’ and do it… swiftly!