Our One Burden

I talked earlier this week about our Source of rest. Today I want to dive deeper into one of those verses.

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NLT)

I’ve carried some heavy burdens in my time, many of them self-imposed. There are times when the weight of the pressure threatens to break me. Worry and fear have been huge in my life (as discussed here). Sometimes it feels like I’m bearing my burdens alone. And you know what? It’s because I am. I don’t let Jesus help me carry them. Which is silly because these verses clearly tell me He is ready, able, and willing to do so.

How can we avail ourselves of this much-needed pressure release? The first step is profoundly simple—we must come to Jesus and ask Him for help. We must turn our attention and thoughts away from the things causing us to worry and towards our Savior.

The next step is to take His yoke upon ourselves. A yoke is not a device made for one—it’s designed to be worn by two animals so they can pull a burden together. This is not something that can be worn by individuals who are far away from one another. Jesus wants to help us carry our troubles, but the only way to join forces is to draw close and deepen our relationship with Him.

Finally, we need to make ourselves teachable. I think the yoke actually serves two purposes—Jesus wants to ease our burdens, but He also wants us to place ourselves where He can easily direct us. If we have humbled ourselves to His direction by yoking ourselves to Him, that means we’re in a place where He can easily turn us when we need correction.

This last point is particularly hard for me. I know for a fact I struggle with not knowing how to let go. But have I truly opened myself up to teaching in this area, or do I continue to stubbornly hold onto things? Do I intentionally seek instruction, or do I satisfy myself with shooting up desperate pleas in the midst of my overwhelm, hoping God will come to my rescue?

What I tend to forget is that as children of God, we have one burden—love and seek the Father. If we make this the one thing we put all of our energy and focus on, our other burdens will take care of themselves. Matthew 6:33 reaffirms this: “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.” (NLT) God will provide us with the strength, perspective, and resources we need. But first…we must come to Him and ask!