Whether it’s a difficult season of life, or just another Tuesday, weariness threatens to run rampant in our lives. Hard stuff happens in this fallen world, and that’s just the nature of the beast…literally. This world lies in the power of the evil one. (1 John 5:19) Satan is referred to as, “the god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4), so it’s no wonder that he would use this world to surround us with his darkness, causing us to become weary and run down.
But don’t lose hope!
"For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” Jeremiah 31:25 ESV
The God of this universe has already defeated the evil one, and provides us with strength to endure and even thrive amidst the impossible circumstances of life.
"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 in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-29 NIV
If you’ve been around church for a while, you’ve likely heard this passage before. But sometimes, it’s hard to really register the words of the message.
“My yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
I’m a visual learner, so digging in to the passage to find a visual or an image for my brain to hook onto helps me retain the message in the verses. In this case, I’ve heard this passage recited and referenced so many times that it often doesn’t register until I pause and picture the yoke, the oxen, the cart carrying an unbearable load.
yoke /yōk/ noun
a wooden crosspiece that is fastened over the necks of two animals and attached to the plow or cart that they are to pull.
I can imagine Jesus walking right next to me, lifting the weight of my burdensome load using his personal yoke that is “easy,” making the load He carries (wouldn’t that be my own heavy load?) “light,” simply because
He’s the One doing all the lifting!
And what about the plow? The yoke is “attached to the plow or cart.” When I think of my burdens being lifted by His easy yoke, I picture my cart piled high with this baggage and that burden. But what about when the yoke we wear is dragging a plow… digging the soil… painful, backbreaking, messy work that is merely preparing the soil for planting. There’s nothing really to show for this kind of work when you’re in the season of sowing.
Raising children comes to mind.
How many times do we as parents feel the pressure of preparing our kids for the world outside the safety of our homes? The weight of responsibilities can feel overwhelming even before we get to the planting part. Preparing the soil – those unseen chores around the house, daily meals prepared, holding on for dear life to wrangle those toddlers until your partner gets home from work… all to prepare the soil, cultivating a safe home for our children so that when the time comes to plant the seeds with teaching and training, they are set up for success.
The plow used to prepare the soil can often feel unbearable, even heavier than the cart. But that’s only if we’re trying to lift the burden on our own. Neither the cart of burdens nor the plow of responsibilities is the problem. The weight of this world is guaranteed in life, because of the fact that we live in a fallen, sinful world. No matter what season of life you find yourself in, there’s going to be a cart and a plow.
The key to managing the extra weight is to allow God to carry it all, using His yoke, not ours. God’s promise is to give our souls rest when we rely on Him to do the heavy lifting.
For more encouragement and mom support like this, please consider subscribing to my monthly newsletter. You’ll also receive my Story of the Month youth fiction series to read for free, plus access to my Free Download Library and a 10% Priority Reader Discount on your first order!
