The Yoke and Burden

     “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke
      upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for
      your souls. 30For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28 – 30

In this world it is so easy to become weary. The burdens of daily life can weigh down on us like tons of rock. It has been that way since the fall from Eden.

Today, we face not only the burden of daily life; not only the weariness from just trying to stay alive, but also the added pressures of a pandemic and a county divided by a political minefield that is permeating every facet of our lives. Yes, weariness is abundant. The burden we carry is nearly overwhelming.

Hear the good news! We just have to come to Jesus, and He will give us rest. That does not mean that the troubles of the world will go away. That does not mean the burden will suddenly be lessened, or our weariness will evaporate. What it means is we have a comforter, a companion, a champion in this daily fight.

So, what does “coming” to Jesus look like. Wasn’t that taken care of when we accepted Him as our Savior? Well, yes, but as with any relationship, it isn’t a one-time deal. Coming to Jesus is an ongoing process. We must develop a habit of coming to Jesus.

Coming in prayer. Coming in communion. Coming by ‘putting on Christ’ in our daily lives. We are called to be Christ like in our dealings with the world at large.

“Take my yoke….”; ‘take on my ways’, ‘be like me’, Jesus says.

When we take on the yoke of Jesus, we are guided by the Spirit and the way becomes easier. The worry of the world can be replaced by the peace of Christ. It is an ongoing process.

When we come to Jesus in prayer about all things, He will send the Spirit of peace upon us and we can raise our voices in praise even in the prisons of this world. When we actively seek out Jesus for communion, sitting with Him, walking with Him in our spirit, He sends His Spirit of joy to us so that we, like the apostles, can sing of His praises.

When we ‘put on Christ’, we will be servants even to the harshest task masters and that love will overcome weariness. The power of Christ is in the strength of humility. It is in the gentleness that displays patience and love toward all people. Finding rest in Jesus comes from knowing He is with us in all we encounter.

The yoke of Jesus is easy and the burden light, not because it is a simple thing to do, but because we have a companion, a champion in Jesus. We have an example of how to reach the world.

When we come to Jesus in daily life, we are led by the Spirit of God. When we are open to the Spirit, we see beyond the trials and troubles of a broken world and see what God intended for His world to be like.

When we humble ourselves, like Jesus, we can serve our brothers and sisters without fear or weariness.

When we take on the gentleness of Jesus, we can face daily life with confidence and hope.
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When we take on the yoke of Jesus, no pandemic or divide can overcome us. We have the power that overturned the grave on our side. 

We are not called to be burdened. We are not called to be weary.

We are called to be at rest in the Lord.

We are called to be servants that show humility and gentleness to a world stuck in oppression; a broken world, tired and fading into death.

We are called to be examples of hope and love. His ‘yoke is easy and the burden light’, for it is the yoke and burden of love for God and one another.

Kathy Hendrix