His Yoke is Easy, His Burden is Light

Feeling burdened, stressed, weary, worn out? Jesus says to come follow him: "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. "Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30). These, as all his words, and, indeed, all the words in the Bible, are just words unless the Holy Spirit makes them alive to you. We don't gain spiritual truth through our earthbound minds. When the world and all its demands seem overwhelming and we feel crushed on all sides, those words may fall on deaf ears. How can he say that? We have demands in our lives, our bills, our jobs, our families, etc. How can I believe that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. It seems like life itself is one big burden after another, one more trial, more difficulties, more responsibility, more not knowing what to do--in a word, more pressure. However, the truth is the more you get your mind on the Savior, the more peace and rest there is. You begin to see how he really does lift the burdens and carries us through all the trying times. I love Isaiah 26:3, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." And Proverbs 3:5-7: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the LORD and depart from evil." That's how Jesus can say his yoke is easy, his burden is light, because we are yoked to him and he is carrying the weight. He is not asking us to carry it. We are so accustomed to figuring out what to do and doing it instead of resting and walking through things trusting in Him. But what he says is what is the truth. We just have a tendency to forget that.