My yoke is easy and my burden is light
In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus says to his followers “my yoke is easy and my burden is light”
Many of us have heavy burdens, but he says we don’t need to let them weigh us down.
If you read all of Matthew 11:28-30 you’ll notice that Jesus doesn’t JUST say his yoke is easy and his burden is light.
Lets break down what he says.
Come to me
He lets us know we can come to him.
As Christ followers we know we can go to Jesus and that he will listen to everything we say and challenge us from a place of love.
Weary and burdened
He sees and acknowledges that we experience things that are too big to handle, and he doesn’t judge us for our feelings.
Jesus acknowledges and validates our feelings.
He sees all of you, and none of your thoughts, emotions, or behaviours are too big for him.
I will give you rest
Jesus doesn’t only give you permission to rest, he advocates for it, offers it even.
God took rest after creating the world.
Jesus even offers you rest.
So take this as permission to do those things that recharge you.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me
If we take the time to learn from Jesus there are a few things we see.
He took time to rest with His Father, on his own, and with His friends.
Jesus was never scared of asking His friends to work with Him, or pray for him.
He focused on doing His work, He didn’t overburden Himself by trying to do the work of others.
For I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls
Jesus doesn’t come to us offering rest only to give us another list of things to do.
He cares for you mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing.
He loves on you, knowing what you need, and how to provide it.
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light
He doesn’t pretend that He doesn’t have any expectations.
Jesus promises that what He asks you to do will not be heavy.
What you are carrying right now may feel heavy.
It could be that what you are carrying was never meant for you.
Go to Jesus.
Check out what He has for you.
See if you can put down what is weighing you down and pick up a task that you are perfectly crafted for.
Or listen to see if He is simply saying ‘come. rest’
For a video devotion on this topic click HERE