Unshackled Moments ~ February 22

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 11:29-30 

 I remember reading and hearing this verse and thinking my burden sure doesn’t feel light, and the task doesn’t seem all that easy either. Doing God’s will, loving and serving like Jesus is so opposite of who and what I am that it not only feels heavy and hard, it feels impossible. It feels impossible, because it is impossible. I’m just not good enough, caring enough or strong enough, and I never will be this side of eternity.

 But that’s me trying to pull God’s plow. I’m not built for it. My father and I have moved quite a few pieces of heavy equipment and furniture that two people who aren’t built like the Hulk shouldn’t move on their own. We’ve both done that sort of thing solo as well. But the truth is we didn’t.

Dad taught me early on how to use the laws of God to make the load work for us rather than against us. Understanding certain truths like balance point and leverage can make a weight impossible for one man to lift manageable. I can recall more than once when a load on my shoulder shifted causing me to lose that precarious balance point and suddenly what had felt like a heavy load became a crushing weight that I had to get out from under fast before it hurt me.

Relationship with Jesus is our Spiritual balance. He is all the leverage we need to move the mountain and lift the impossible crushing weight. When it starts feeling like too much, don’t throw your effort into it. Position yourself closer to the balance. The more balanced the load, the lighter it feels. When we rely on the truths of God’s love and word, He works for us. As long as we remain positioned, we can accomplish whatever He would have us accomplish. It is only when we try to work against the truth and manhandle the load that it hurts us and reminds of just how small and weak we truly are on our own.

Abba, help me to remember that it is in my position with You that my burden becomes Your burden and the task becomes doable. Help me to surrender to Your truth today so that I don’t try to manhandle or muscle my life and what you would have me do. Amen.