“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28 HCSB)

 

You would think that after two weeks off and plenty of rest I wouldn’t be tired in the morning. I realize I slept a little bit later than usual and stayed up a little bit later, but I didn’t think I was that far off from my regular work schedule. I’ve found every day this week that I was tired and could go back to sleep in a heartbeat. Unfortunately, I gave into that desire every day but one. Which meant I didn’t get much done.

My calendar in January is almost filled. Just thinking about it sometimes makes me feel weary. I begin to long for a night or two where I don’t have to go anywhere or do anything, or wish for a Saturday at home. But, I’m in the season of life that is devoted to raising kids. My mom is in a season of life where she is stuck at home taking care of my grandmother. You may find yourself in the same season as my mom or I, or maybe, you are somewhere in between.

In the above verses, Jesus is talking and He continues by saying, “Take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves.”

A yoke, by the way, is a large, heavy, wooden piece of equipment that farmers harness to two animals. Then it is attached to a plow or cart. This heavy burden forces the animals to walk together. You wouldn’t think of the yoke as being gentle, nor would it allow rest for the tired.

I think Jesus is giving us two images here. First, if you have two animals doing the work, then they are sharing the burden and it becomes less work. The yoke does force them together, but it also lightens the load because it keeps them lined up so that one animal doesn’t work harder than the other. In this, I think Jesus is telling us that to be yoked to Him means that He will share our load.

The second thing I see from this is that when two animals are yoked together, they are focused on what’s ahead of them. They can’t turn back. They can barely look to the left or to the right. When we are yoked to Jesus, there is not a lot of looking back on the past, but a lot of looking ahead. We are able to focus on the work He has for us to do.

So rather you are tired after a holiday, like me, or bone weary from everyday activities, know that you are not alone. Jesus is walking beside you and more than willing to share the load. Isn’t that great to know? In everything, we are not alone. He is with us, sharing with us, and lightening the load.

 

Lord, thank you for being with me, for being next to me, for sharing my load of worries and cares. Help me to remember that you are always there and that I am never alone. Give me the strength I need to do the work you have for me to do.

 

Jesus is more than willing to share the load. Isn’t that great to know? He is with us, sharing with us, and lightening the load. Tweet This.