Jesus says in the Bible: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

In biblical times, farmers used a yoke, a wooden crosspiece fastened over the necks of two oxen (usually) and attached to a plow or cart. The yoke allowed the two animals to share the burden of the workload so they could pull together. You have probably heard the saying, “There is strength in numbers.”

There are two kinds of burdens in this life – those that we bring on ourselves, that God never intended us to carry, and those that the Lord allows into our lives to strengthen us and make us more like His Son Jesus Christ.

Some Christians mistakenly interpret those verses to mean that when we experience hardships or “burdens” in life, and when we are tired of carrying them around ourselves, we are to run to Jesus, dump them at His feet and let Him have them. To completely rid ourselves of them altogether; lay them at his feet, dust off our hands, walk away and go back to our life as we know it; most likely, to collect more burdens that He never intended us to carry. I am exhausted just thinking about that.

And yet, many Christians live their lives that way and wonder why they do not experience “rest for their souls.”

When someone is born again and becomes a follower of Jesus Christ, the scripture says, they are to “take His yoke upon them.” They are to be yoked together with Jesus and His ways. He says His yoke is easy. That means it will fit perfectly. It will not be cumbersome. And in so doing, we will stay close to Him and walk with Him side by side. And the way we do that is by reading the Bible and talking to Him in prayer, as we go, in our daily lives.

We are to “learn from Him.” Again, through reading His Word. Wherever He wants us to go, we go. Whatever He wants us to do, we do. But this is key – He is with us.

Sometimes we feel the “burdens” of this life are too much to bear alone. Jesus wants us to remember that we are never alone if we have a relationship with Him. He wants us to remember that He is with us and beside us, ready to help bear the weight of the burdens of this life. Even those we have brought on ourselves … if we will humbly surrender to Him.

Jesus Christ is not dumping grounds for our burdens. Instead, He is holy ground, on which we walk with Him, where the burdens of this life are lifted supernaturally by the almighty strength and power of our Lord, who is in, with, and ready to walk alongside, every born-again, follower of Jesus Christ.

Today I pray, my fellow Believer, that you will find rest for your soul by taking on His yoke, “for it is easy and His burden is light.”

 

Lisa Hannan lives in Valdosta with her husband, attorney Miles Hannan, who has been practicing law in Valdosta for more than 30 years. She has a B.S. in psychology from Valdosta State University. You can find her at www.lisahannan.org.