YOU’RE NOT MEANT TO BEAR THINGS ALONE
KEY SCRIPTURE: “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 11:28-30
In our time of modern conveniences, the deeper meaning of this verse can be lost on us. Most of us do not have to farm or grow our own food, and even if we do, we typically use a tractor, not oxen, to plow the field. But in Jesus’ day, this would be very familiar to people, and the meaning would have been immediately clear.
When you wanted to train a young ox that had never plowed a field or pulled a load before, you would yoke it with an older, stronger, more experienced ox who would bear the majority of the burden of the yoke, guiding and training the younger ox as they went along.
This is one of the many metaphors Jesus used to invite us to (and describe our) walk with Him.
I get a bit overwhelmed sometimes at the profundity of the Creator of the universe coming down in human form as Jesus. Choosing to walk this earth as a human. To experience, (and witness first hand,) the agonizing pain, suffering, and deep trauma we as humans experience in our lives. And experience it He did! Several times we read how Jesus was deeply moved by the excruciating trauma He witnessed us enduring. (John 11:33, Luke 7:12-15)
Trauma. The dictionary describes trauma as “a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.” Throughout our lives we all experience a tremendous amount of trauma. Our childhood is riddled with them, and then as we mature we experience more and more… sometimes tiny traumas, and sometimes horrific traumatic situations that leave us crippled… in more ways than one.
These wounds in and of themselves can be heavy burdens to bear, but more often than not they warp and distort our beliefs. We end up doing more and more in order to hide (from others, and sometimes even from ourselves,) that we have these scars in our soul. We do whatever we can to ease the ache, and we find ourselves doing things in excess to numb the pain, whether it’s drugs or alcohol, television, web-surfing, or even work.
Jesus saw this when He walked among us, and He sees it every single day in our current mess. So, even though He spoke these words thousands of years ago, they are incredibly relevant to us today.
Let’s unpack this verse a bit…
As always, Jesus is a gentleman. He doesn’t FORCE us to do anything, but He invites us, almost pleadingly, to COME to Him so He can help us… but, WE must make the choice to COME. Once we choose to come to Him, He can give us rest. I’ve found that sometimes this does mean actual sleep where my body can be restored, but oftentimes this has proven to just be a restful peace in my core that permeates my being and soothes my spirit.
He does not force His will upon us, so again He calls us to action and invites us to TAKE His yoke upon us. When we choose to be yoked with Jesus, He can then not only carry the weight of our burdens with (and mostly for!) us, but He can also then lead us through our day, step by step.
This all SOUNDS very easy… but believe me, it is NOT! It is a battle. The enemy does NOT want us to come to Jesus. He wants to weigh us down with so many burdens that we can scarcely move. The only power satan has (besides what God allows him to have,) is the power of suggestion, so he truly is like the little devil on our shoulder constantly whispering lies into our ears… how we’re a failure, we’re not good enough, we’re ugly, we’re fat, or too old, or it’s just too late for us to make any changes in our life and we should Just. Give. Up. This constant barrage of lies press down on us… they oppress us and depress us until we can barely stagger through our day.
This is why Jesus beckons us to COME to HIM. We CANNOT do this alone. Sometimes a trusted friend, pastor, or counselor can help you come back to Him, hear His truth, and put His yoke back on. When we take Jesus’ yoke upon us, it knocks the devil off our shoulder and gives us the peace for which we desperately long.
But our enemy doesn’t give up that easily. He slithers his way back onto our shoulder and, if we’ve allowed ANY space for him, he’ll take it! So we must KEEP coming back to Jesus. Over, and over, and OVER again. This is why Jesus told us we must REMAIN in Him. (John 15:4)
For me, some days are easier than others, but there have been days where I have had to literally cry out to Jesus over and over again, “Please take this, Lord. It’s too much for me!” and I’ll have peace for a bit and then the enemy attacks again. So I give it to the Lord again. And again. And again. Over and over and over.
It is a discipline… focusing our heart and mind on Jesus to drown out the lies of the enemy. I’ve found when I focus on Him, He does give me peace. (Isaiah 26:3) He wraps His arms around my shoulders and I’m once again yoked with Him. Only in this state of calm clarity I can proceed throughout my day accomplishing way more than I ever could have on my own. (Matthew 19:26, Philippians 4:13)
Bring your burdened soul to Jesus. It's too heavy for you to bear alone.
SCRIPTURES
John 11:33 ~ When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in his spirit and greatly troubled. (ESV)
Luke 7:12-15 ~ A funeral procession was coming out as he approached the village gate. The young man who had died was a widow’s only son, and a large crowd from the village was with her. When the Lord saw her, his heart overflowed with compassion. “Don’t cry!” he said. Then he walked over to the coffin and touched it, and the bearers stopped. “Young man,” he said, “I tell you, get up.” Then the dead boy sat up and began to talk! And Jesus gave him back to his mother. (NLT)
John 15:4 ~ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (NIV)
Isaiah 26:3 ~ You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. (NKJV)
Matthew 19:26 ~ Jesus looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, but for God all things are possible.” (NET)
Philippians 4:13 ~ I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (NKJV)