Is that yolk on your face?

I don't know about you, but there are many times when I feel yolked instead of yoked. 


Rotten eggs are stinky, embarrassing, and downright messy (yuck!). Not something you'd like to walk around with. On the one hand, I know that I'm Abba's precious child. On the other hand, I can't grasp how much He loves me and accepts me, so I act as if I'm covered in yolks. 


I suppose that imagery's what has been drawing me back to  Matthew 11:25-30 over and over through the last couple of years. Have you ever thought about Jesus' yoke? I've always pictured a clumsy me, awkwardly attempting to pick up a cumbersome (smelly) oxen yoke, only to crumble under its weight. 


The other day, I was blessed with a new mental picture, one which I think I'll keep.


Jesus was in the yoke beside me (which was very lightweight and didn't stink the way I thought it would), and he was patiently (with a twinkle in his eye) instructing me on the next task I was to do... as if he were instructing a toddler on how to plant his first seed in the ground. The sky was a pretty blue, the butterflies were fluttering all around, and the sun was just right. And there was peace. (Do you hear the beautiful music in the background? It really was lovely.)


So, I reread Matthew 11... noticing that Jesus made this proclamation to anyone listening immediately after declaring woes to those who refused to listen to truth. How amazing is our Savior, that He would not stop with statements of destruction. He went on to thank Abba for teaching babes. Then He offers rest, acceptance, and training to those who will learn from Him. 


Did He not say that He came to give us life? He didn't come to smear your face in guilt, fear, despair. He came to give you a hope, joy, peace, and every spiritual blessing. So, don't think of yourself as being yolked (embarrassed, smelly, and unclean). Think of yourself as YOKED. 



²⁵ At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from thewise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. ²⁶ Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. ²⁷All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

   ²⁸ “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”


Abba, you're the best! Thank you for promising me what I have yet to grasp. Thank you for walking right here with me, every day, loving me and accepting me AS IS... NO MATTER WHAT. In Jesus' name...