Our family will be moving this summer. Not only are we packing and storing many things, but we are also downsizing because our youngest daughter is getting ready to leave the nest. It is a stressful time with many big changes on the horizon. After an overwhelming day of physical and emotional exhaustion, I sat down to pray. I really needed a few moments with the Lord to help me calm down and renew my strength. During my prayer, my mind kept returning to the verse in Matthew 11:28-30,
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
I never felt like I understood why taking His yoke on us would make our burden lighter. After all, isn’t a yoke a contraption place on the shoulders of oxen for them to pull a heavy load? How is submitting to another burden on my already heavy shoulders going to make my job easier or give me rest? But then I heard the unmistakable voice of the Lord speaking gently through my confused mind.
“I will help you carry this load. I will lift your heavy burden. My yoke is easy because it will help you get the job done better than you can with your own strength. Think of it like this—would you rather carry a fifty-pound bag in your arms or on your back, or, would you like to pull it in a wagon with big, easy-rolling wheels? My yoke is like the wagon; it makes the job much more manageable. The load still has to be borne, but I will make it easier. The move still has to be made, but I will help it go smoothly.”
Are you going through a tough time in your life too? Is your mind or heart burdened by stress, grief, or worries? To carry these heavy loads in your own arms is exhausting. You may have to go through this trial or heavy time in your life, but you don’t have to do it alone or with your own strength. The Lord is waiting with His wagon to come alongside you and make your load lighter and easier to pull. Let Him take your burden off your shoulders and put it in His easy-rolling wagon. Place His yoke on your shoulders and see how much lighter and easier it is to carry your load. You may still get tired and weary on your journey, but remember, He is walking right beside you, giving you His strength to get through this hard time. And when you come through it, you will emerge victorious and refreshed by His presence.
Too many people are walking through life loaded down with burdens that are too heavy for them to bear on their own; you don’t have to be one of them. I encourage you to lay your burden down in God’s wagon and rest in His arms for a moment. And help those around you whom you see burdened to understand that there is an easier way for them too. May you be refreshed in your trial and may the Lord’s yoke make your day go more smoothly!