Matthew 11:28-30 “Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, because I am lowly and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

A little less than a month from today I will be traveling with a team of 26 others, many of them students, to Ecuador on a mission trip. Our team is currently in the height of planning and preparation. For me, having been to Ecuador before and traveling with many who have either never flown or been out of the country adds an additional sense of responsibility. There are so many details to be ironed out, questions to be answered, supplies to be ordered, bags to be packed, etc.. Honestly it can be completely overwhelming and exhausting. A few nights ago, I laid in bed fully awake trying to figure out several details and come up with solutions to a few problems. My mind was spinning so fast, that it resulted in a restless night with lots of tossing and turning and little sleep. And the thing was I tried praying about it. But no sooner than a prayer for help left my lips, I’d immediately take that burden right back from God and put it on my shoulders. 

These words in Matthew come from Jesus Himself and bring me a much needed reminder that I am not meant to carry the burdens I insist on carrying everyday. I’m the one that chooses to pick them up and put them on my shoulders. If we take a closer look at these verses, they bring valuable insight for those of us who feel the need to carry the burdens of those we are called to love and serve. And yes, there is a difference between loving and serving others and carrying their burdens. 

Let’s start by reading those few verses again slowly. Take notice of the invitations that Jesus gives us. “Come to me, take my yoke,  and learn from me”. Jesus is telling us here exactly what we need to do. The first of which is to go to Him for help. Notice that He does not say to pick up this heavy burden, lug it around with you and allow it to keep you up at night worrying about things you can’t control. No, He is very clear- if you are burdened and weary “come to Me”, I can handle whatever it is. The thing about carrying around burdens, whether they are yours or someone elses’ is that it is exhausting! Emotionally, spiritually and even physically. Few things can drain your energy as quickly as lugging around a heavy burden that we were never meant to or designed to carry. 

Jesus tells us that if we will come to Him, He will give us rest. Not just physical rest, but rest for our souls. Look at the words closely and understand what they say and what they don’t say. “I will give you rest, you will find rest for your souls”. You see our Savior, desires to give us what He knows we need. He doesn’t say “you might find rest or if I’m not too busy I’ll see what I can do, or why don’t you go ask someone else for help”. No, Jesus wants to be the One carrying our burdens. He wants to be the One that gives us rest. Why don’t we let Him?

Understanding words we read in scripture can be confusing, especially if we don’t understand their meaning. The word “yoke” is one of those words. Jesus is using terminology of His day to make a point to those who are listening. A yoke is a wooden harness, used by oxen. It is designed for two, and is used to pull a cart or equipment. It is formed specifically for oxen, so as not to be a discomfort or distraction. Yoke is also a term used to describe submission. So, in this context -if we live our lives in submission to Jesus (going to Him with our burdens, and allowing Him to carry them) we can learn from Him and find the rest we desperately need. . 

I get it, it is so easy to pick up a burden feeling like it’s all on you to fix or carry around. It’s easy to give something to God one minute, only to turn right back around and take it back the next. It’s easy to think if you don’t do it, no one else will, at least not in the way you want. There are so many reasons that come into play with this behavior – pride, self-will, control, etc.. But bottom line, we (every single one of us) need Jesus! We were not made or designed to walk through this life alone. Our refusal to go to Him for help is pure and simple sin.

There is a song that is popular on Christian radio today – “Run to the Father” by Cody Carnes. The first line is “I’ve carried a burden, for too long on my own”. Oh how I can relate to those words. If you struggle with carrying burdens like I do, let me encourage you to look up the words to this song and read through them. Or simply listen to them and allow them to wash over you. Spend some time with these verses and having an honest conversation with Jesus. Go ahead and take the risk and accept His invitation to come, take and learn. 

Here is a link the the song with the lyrics – 

Run to the Father by Cody Carnes – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcpeLDp0Foo