Joanne Sher: Editor/Proofreader : My Burden? His Yoke!

We live in a busy world. Well, at least I do. Perhaps I'm the only person who feels like she's always got somewhere else to be, something else to do, someone else to satisfy. Somehow, I doubt it, though.

I don't even make a to-do list much of the time anymore. Way too depressing. Every time I cross something off, three more new ones come to mind. So I just get on my hamster wheel and put one foot in front of the other, over and over, until my energy is gone. Then I hop off, crash on the floor of the cage, until I wake up again and get back on the treadmill.

So, maybe I'm not that bad (at least I HOPE I'm not). But sometimes, my day sure feels like that. More often than not, at minimum, I feel weary. And burdened.

And do you know what? The Lord knew I would get this way. And he gave me an answer. COME TO HIM.

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28 NIV

I love that verse. All I have to do is go to Him, give Him all my troubles, tasks and to-do lists, and they'll get done. Cuz look at the next couple verses:

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 11:29-30 NIV

Look at that – it's easy. My burden will be light. My soul? Rested. Just dump my stuff on both of our backs and we share the load.

Or IS that it?

I don't know if you're a grammar person or not, but I was noticing a particular pronoun that's repeated a couple times in this verse. And both times, it's right next to that word yoke. It's the word “my.”

Newsflash – that my is not referring to yours truly. It's talking about the King of Kings. The Great I Am. The Way, the Truth, and the Life. Yeah, Jesus.

I'm not taking my yoke and sharing it with Jesus: He's sharing His with me. Are the burdens I'm taking on mine to take on? Am I in His will with all this running? Am I working for God as I run from activity to activity, or am I serving some other purpose—self-accomplishment? Pride? Fear? Feeding my ego? Trying to get ahead?

Check your motives at the door. Then come to Him. Take the burdens He has for you, and share the yoke with the King of Kings. Trust me—He'll carry the a lot more of the load than you will.