Here’s a yoke that will never crush you…

Jesus says in His Word, ““Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”” (see Matthew 11:28-29, NLT)

What comes to mind when you think of the word “yoke”?

For many, this word has a negative connotation, reminding them of slavery or a heavy weight to bear, whether it be religious, professional, family-related…

By definition, a burden is heavy and oppressive.

But Jesus gives us a totally different definition: “Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”” (the Bible, Matthew 11:28-30)

In fact, the yoke Jesus was talking about served to join two oxen together so that they could plough together.

Imagine yourself connected, joined, to Jesus: it is He who carries and carries you, He who pulls and pulls you forward, He who advances and helps you advance.

Jesus’s yoke is like the fins of a fish. His yoke is what enables us to move forward. The world’s yoke can hold you back, but Jesus’s yoke brings you further than you could imagine. When Jesus is with you, even what you carry carries you.