Christ's Invitation: Come Unto Me

 I was sitting in a mission conference last week and a comparison came to me: "Come, follow me"   versus "Come unto me." There is a single word difference between these phrases yet as I thought about it, the differences are more than one simple word.

The phrase "Come, follow me" is a commandment. We can always choose whether or not we will obey that commandment but it is a commandment nonetheless. We are commanded to follow the example of the Savior.
When we follow someone, we look up to them, generally speaking. We do as they do. We follow their example. We are trying to be like them.
In the Bible, Christ's disciples were to give up their livelihoods, their riches,

everything that they owned, in order to follow the Savior of the world. Likewise, we are commanded to follow Christ's example in all things. We are to "take up our cross [and] follow [him]." (Doctrine and Covenants 112:14)
"Come, follow me" implies that we are looking up to someone - in this case, Christ. We are seeking Him. This phrase also implies that we are being obedient to the things that Christ commands. We obey the commandments that we are given and we seek to do what Christ would do. We seek to say what Christ would say.
As we seek to follow Christ, we become more Christ-like. In the Gospel, as we follow Christ's example, we are gaining a testimony of Him and of His divine mission as the Savior of the world.

Then there is the invitation to "Come unto me." In Matthew 11:28, Christ says, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." He asks us to come unto Him so that He may bless us and so that He may help us to overcome all the things that we will go through in this life so that we may grow through each and every experience.

As we come unto Christ we will be shown our weaknesses (Ether 12:27) and yet the hand of grace will be extended to us so that we may overcome those weaknesses (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Coming to someone implies that we are walking toward someone who is waiting for us. It implies that we are seeking, not only to become like them, but to be in their presence and to be with them. This invitation to "come unto me" also indicates that He desires to be with us. He loves us enough that He desires us to be in His presence.

To "come unto [Him]," we must seek not only to do as He did, but to become as He has become. We must seek to learn of Him and His example and then to apply those attributes in our own lives. One of those attributes is charity. As we have charity - the pure love of Christ (becoming like Him, following His example) - "[our] confidence will wax strong in the presence of God." (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45,46) As we follow Christ's example, we will then seek to come unto Him. Coming unto Christ implies a conversion to Him and to His Gospel and teachings.

Christ loves us. Our Heavenly Father loves us. They both desire the very best for us, as stated in Moses 1:39, "For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." The motivation behind everything our Heavenly Father does, is to better us - to bring us back into His presence. As we are obedient to His commandments He will bless and prosper us. That does not mean that everything will turn out exactly the way we want it to, but it means that we will grow and learn in the way that the Lord knows is best for us.
May we ever seek to come closer to Christ. As we do, I know that He will bless us and we will be "encircled about eternally in the arms of His love." (2 Nephi 1:15)