Take the easy way!
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
(Matthew 11:28-30, ESV)
To anyone who has ever been told “winners never cheat and cheaters never win,” this advice from Jesus might cause you to raise an eyebrow in suspicion. How could God lead us to something easy? Isn’t Christianity all about doing difficult things like continued forgiveness and humility?
If you’re at all like me, the responsibilities and demands of work, family, friends, and ministry can quickly and frequently become too much. On one such day of feeling like I was being spread too thin, I was reminded of this Scripture. In prayer, I asked God how his yoke could POSSIBLY be easier than mine. This is the same Jesus whose yoke literally included death on a cross, forgiving the unforgivable, and other struggles during his time on Earth. How could his yoke be the easier one between the two of us? Holy Spirit led me to truly study Jesus’ yoke. One crucial part of Jesus’ yoke is found in verse 29, “for I am gentle and lowly in heart”. Two aspects of Jesus’ character are gentleness, a fruit of the Spirit, and humility, the ability to lower oneself and elevate others. Here Jesus continues his advice that his followers should lay aside prideful desires to be considered first and greatest, instead trading this for a childlike persona of humility and teachability.
Could it be that much of what wears us down results from our refusal to take the easy way? Could it be that in our pursuit of success, approval, security, and stability we have neglected our Master’s model of what it is to walk in gentleness and servitude? After all, Jesus exemplified what it is to live a life free to only prioritize two things: loving God and loving people (Matthew 22:36-40).
As most of us reading this have been brainwashed by Western culture and programmed to find our source of fulfillment in chasing the “American dream,” let us be reminded of Paul’s invitation to renew our minds (Romans 12:2)! You are not what you do. You are not your finances. You are not even the sum total of likes, friends, and followers. You are a child of God and joint-heirs with Christ! And as such, exhaustion, fatigue and burnout are not your portion. Find rest today, my friend. Take the easy way.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for Jesus. Thank you for His perfect rest that comes when I return to the basics of loving You and serving people. I admit I have been overwhelmed with everything else, but today I will rest in the easier yoke. Please remind me when I begin to stray. I love you more…
