“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)
When you’re running on empty and carrying a heavy load, the first solution Jesus offers you is this: “Come to me . . . and I will give you rest”Matthew 11:28 (NIV). That’s the starting point for anyone who needs relief from worry, fear, and anxiety: Come to Jesus!
Here’s the second solution: Give up control.
This is so important because one reason you get overloaded is you’re trying to control too much. You think it all depends on you. Maybe your motto is, “If it’s to be, it’s up to me.”
Friend, you are not the general manager of the universe. You can resign, and it won’t fall apart. Know this: The greater your need to control, the more stress you’re going to have in life.
But Jesus offers a different way. He says, “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).
You say, “Wait a minute. Take on something else? I can’t take on more. I need to carry less!”
That’s why it’s important to understand how a yoke works. A yoke is a wooden piece that teams up two animals, allowing them to share the load and make it lighter. The purpose is to make it easier on the animals, not harder.
A yoke is a symbol of partnership. It’s as if Jesus is saying, “I never meant for you to carry all your problems by yourself. Let me help you.” When you yoke up to Jesus, it’s not so you can share his load. It’s so he can share yours.
A yoke is also a symbol of control. Farmers yoke up animals so that they go in the same direction, at the same time, and at the same pace. When you’re not yoked to Jesus, you get into trouble. You end up going too fast, in the wrong direction, sidelined, or in a ditch. Yoked to Jesus, he keeps you from trouble.
Jesus knows exactly where to take you in life because he created you. He knows exactly the pace you should go because he shaped you. He knows your personality. He knows what you can handle and what you can’t handle. Yoked to Jesus, he guides you.
We think the antidote to stress is to escape on vacation, attend a seminar, or go to therapy. Those things can certainly help, but true and lasting relief come when we yoke up to Jesus and give up control. And every time we do, God gives us peace.
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