Scripture

Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

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.”

Consider

When we’re hit hard by a personal injury—that is, a harm done to us by another person—our perspective gets skewed. The injury can seem enormous, engulfing our lives, our thoughts, and our sense of reality. We can’t see how we’ll ever get over it. We fear that our lives will never return to normal.

In a real sense that’s true—our lives are forever changed by such an injury, even if only in a lesson learned. Eventually, however, we realize that although the deed cannot be undone and our loss may be permanent, it is possible to heal and move on.

We get into trouble when we make our response to the injury as permanent and intractable as the injury itself.

When we prolong our attachment to an injury, our initial, natural responses can harden into burdensome attitudes. Anger hardens into bitterness, disappointment into resentment, fear into anxiety. Prolonged sorrow traps us in despair. Attachment to our pain generates defensiveness and a self-righteous need to play the victim. Such maladaptive attitudes eventually coalesce into a yoke so heavy and ill-fitting that we end up injuring ourselves all over again.

Jesus offers to lift that crushing yoke from our shoulders and replace it with one of his own design. “Take my yoke,” he says, “and you will find rest for your souls.” The Message translates the passage in this way:

Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.

To accept the yoke of Christ is to live under the sovereignty and wisdom of his calling for us. He fits us with service perfectly designed to harmonize with our gifts and temperament and life experiences. Unlike a yoke of our own making, his yoke is not a burden but a help to us, a comfort and a guide, enabling us to live with power and purpose, generosity and joy.

Pray

Lord Jesus, help me to surrender to you the burden of my attachment to injuries I’ve suffered and to experience the freedom of walking with you. I long for the peace and rest you promise. Guide my steps and teach me to recognize when the hurt I suffer comes not from the original harm but rather from an ill-fitting yoke that I have laid upon myself.

Reflect

Psalm 68:19; Jeremiah 6:16

Ponder

What harmful attitude might keep me attached to an injury and suffering under an ill-fitting yoke?