"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; ... and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30.
“My yoke is easy and my burden is light." I haven't understood this verse in the New Testament until just recently. In our Sunday School class, our teacher showed a picture of two oxen yoked together. She also said that when there were two yoked together, the two had the capacity to pull a larger load than just 2 x one oxen. I also learned that when 2 oxen are yoked together, there is usually an older, experienced ox yoked with a younger inexperienced ox. That way the one can help the other learn how to pull the cart, not going too fast or too slowly. It finally made sense to me.
As we come unto Jesus Christ and learn of him and become yoked to him, he really does cause our burdens to become light. He helps us carry them. He knows the pitfalls of life to avoid and knows how to pull the load more efficiently. He keeps us from running faster than we have strength and he helps us to slow down and enjoy the journey.
When life gets us down, when we feel less than perfect and regret things we've said or done, when we're feeling stressed, depressed, unloved, confused, discouraged, or whatever it may be, if we try to carry our burdens by ourselves, we may feel even more stressed, discouraged and exhausted. But the answer to every dilemma is always Jesus Christ. He is the way. He is the way out of our difficulties. He knows us. He loves us and He knows what the solution is to whatever is causing us to feel down.
As we accept his yoke and learn of him, we are able to access his power to overcome whatever trial we're going through. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13
I love him. I'm so grateful for his presence in my life. Now as I picture him beside me, I feel that my burdens really have become lighter and I feel the peace and rest that he speaks of.
