Photo by K. Mitch Hodge on Unsplash
There is a yoke that fits you well.
It is easy, but now in the way you might think of ease.
There is a roll that suits you completely.
You may work harder than you've ever worked, but your steps will be light, your heart will be light, and your hope will be bright.
You will awaken to new days with a renewed spirit and an enthusiasm to start again.
There is a calling that is perfect for who you are ... who you were made to be.
There is a partnership that will bring deep rest to your soul, even as you labor with more energy and output than you have ever experienced.
"... my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." - Matthew 11:30
God DOES give you more than you can handle ... just no more temptation than you can run from.
He teaches us to trust and rely on His strength and help.
It is never more than He can help us handle.
It is too much to handle alone.
A yoke is "a bar or frame that is attached to the heads or necks of two work animals (such as oxen) so that they can pull a plow or heavy load." - Merriam-Webster
On that occasion, Jesus said “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you; because you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father this was your gracious will.
“Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“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 of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
—Matthew 11:25-30
Jesus' yoke is the yoke that allows us to plow with him and with each other.
It fits. Anything that does not fit, being to big or too small, hinder and injures us.
It is is reasonable. It is not a collection of hundreds of religious regulations nor is the arbitrary rule of an oppressive, occupying force.
It is the yoke that affords us the rest that can only come from fulfillment.
The easy yoke is χρηστός, kindly to wear, good, and serviceable.
The kindred noun, χρηστότης, writings, is rendered kindness in the writings of Paul.
"Christ's yoke is like feathers to a bird; not loads, but helps to motion" (Jeremy Taylor).
No man or woman is happiest in a vegetative state of inactivity and drudgery.
We have a desire within us to make a difference.
The yoke of Christ is a call to work in his kingdom, but it is a call the the weary, the burdened, and the oppressed. It is not a call to retire or retreat, but an invitation to come and engage in something that matters.
When we are so engaged, we find real rest and deep joy.
