Take My Yoke and Learn

"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 NIV).

I love this scripture. Everyone feels over-burdened at times. The reasons may vary but the answer is always the same. Jesus.

Physical weariness can leave you feeling exhausted and in pain (mostly when you are older, it seems). Emotional weariness results in depletion of energy and motivation. Spiritual weariness leaves one disheartened, without hope, and with a sense of being lost in life.

This past weekend I watched three of my grandchildren work very hard. Showing sheep is hard physical work. There is a lot of pulling, pushing, lifting lambs up on a stand, moving legs to proper positions to show off the lamb's muscles and good qualities, rubbing, brushing, washing, drying, primping, and struggling to get the lamb to move when you want it to and stand still when the judge is looking. There is emotional work, too. The showman must consider the judge, the other showmen in the ring, when to set up the lamb, when to move and when to push into the lamb's brisket so the lamb will brace. There can be confidence if you are winning or frustration if you are losing. You can become spiritually weary from struggling with an uncooperative animal for 15 minutes in the show ring, especially when it is 90 degrees.

                 Payton, Bailey and Calvin prep their lambs for Friday night's lamb show.

Learning to show sheep is a lot like life. There is a yoke to be fitted for and a lot to learn. Every step in the show ring is a learning experience. At first the little ones learn to hold on to the lamb's head and keep the head up to keep the rest of its body in good form while walking or standing. Then they learn to brace the lamb which shows the judge the lamb's best physical qualities. Then they learn to check the legs for good positioning. The showman must learn the anatomy of the lamb and the feeding regimen. Then there is keeping your eye on the judge, anticipating the next move, brace when the judge is ready to feel your lamb's loin, keep enough room between you and the next exhibitor, move up close to the next exhibitor so you keep in line for the judge, move when the judge says move, be ready to catch another exhibitor's loose lamb when it comes running by, and on and on. Whew.

Jesus says, "Come to me," (Matthew 11:28 NIV). Whenever we are tired and overwhelmed by whatever life throws in front of us to deal with, Jesus says, "Come to me. I will give you rest. My yoke is easy and my burden is light," (Matthew 11:28-30 NIV).

He doesn't say we can just sit down and sleep our way through life. When Jesus is in our life, when we have a personal relationship with Him, we experience His love, His healing, and His peace. And that lifts our burden so it is shared by Jesus in His yoke. With Jesus, every task we take on is filled with His purpose and meaning. We learn to depend on Him and to trust Him, for Jesus is gentle and humble in heart. There, we find rest for our souls.