In the book of Matthew, Christ promises His followers an easy way and a light load.
“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Now one would probably ponder since we are promised an easy way and a light load, then why do we have so many struggles? I know that verse certainly caught my attention when I read it for the umpteenth time a year or so ago. Why would Christ say that our burden is light and that our way is easy? Everyone says that living a Christian life isn’t to be chosen because it’s the easy road – things aren’t all flowers and sunshine.
And then it hit me! Christ was saying that if we would attain to His way, His commandments, His teachings, then our yoke would be easy and our burden light! Truly, if we will pursue a life to bring glory to His name and serve Him well, then our way will be easy and smooth!
Understanding Yokes and Burdens
So what yoke do we have to bear? What even is a yoke? From my understanding, it is a restraint of sorts – similar to a bridle on a horse – it is a wooden harness put on oxen so that they can pull loads.
What yoke would we be given by Christ? I believe it would be His teachings and commandments. If we will make those our most central focus and let them restrain our attitudes, thoughts and ideas, than we will most definitely have an easier time in life!
What about the burden? What burden has Christ given us? I can’t help but wonder if these are the struggles and burdens that we have in life. Personally, I’ve struggled with walking much of my life. (Interestingly, up until a year or two ago! Who knows, maybe reading this verse and giving it deeper thought and prayer is what helped me! Wouldn’t that be phenomenal?!)
Truly, your perspective of life must be one of hope and gratitude and love. If it is, then you will be far more capable of seeing what is promised to us! But if you have a victim mentality and can only see your hurts and problems, you won’t be able to fully appreciate the light burden that God blesses us with.
Why Burden Us at All?
You might be pondering, why would God bother to give us a burden? Really, why would He give us a yoke? Doesn’t He say He loves us? Why would someone who claims to love us so dearly give us not only restraints but also baggage to carry around while restrained?
Plain and Simple: Because He loves us.
He wants to be the most important thing in our lives! He wants to be our central focus! Everything that He has created and done points us back to Him! He wants our hearts and our attention! Our praise and our love!
If He didn’t love us, then He wouldn’t care whether we had restraints or just did anything and everything we wanted to. If He didn’t love us, He wouldn’t give us a burden causing us to constantly return our focus to Him!
But what about those times when we struggle more than usual, or perhaps feel overwhelmed? Upon prayer and reflection, I believe it is directly linked to our own lack of flexibility and grace. Definitely difficulties and frustrations arise, but if we will accept the grace that God so generously gives and remember that our lives are part of a much bigger plan than the here and now (flexibility), then we can begin to understand and appreciate the incredible gifts He gives!
Never, ever, underestimate the power of looking outside your own comfort and past yourself!
In Conclusion
What are some ways that you can apply the thoughts I’ve shared? To begin with, share your burdens and struggles with God. True, He already knows about them, but being articulate in sharing them will draw you closer to God and rob the burdens of some of their weight.
It is said that a burden shared is halved – and I think this must be because sharing something forces you to translate it from thoughts into words. I really think that translation robs your thoughts of some of the vague threats that they previously had over you!
Another excellent step would be to learn Christ’s way more thoroughly. If we know the rules by which we play, the game is far more enjoyable than if we are constantly getting pulled for not playing by the rules. It is up to us to learn those rules – and we have been provided with the best of all rule books!
In conclusion, we have the tools we need to enjoy a light burden and an easy way! We are without excuse! Definitely, afford yourself generous amounts of grace along the way, but let us rejoice in the discovery of another way to draw closer to God!
Until Next Time!
Hope.
PS. Want to read about the struggle with walking that I shared above? To be honest, I was hesitant to write about something so close to home when I originally shared it so it is written like a story. Read it here: https://www.theamericanlady.com/2016/11/07/i-never-thought-of-that/