By
Allen White
"Come
to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 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. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
Matthew 11:28-30
My
parents made several trips to Costa Rica in the late ‘70s to help with
construction of a Bible college in San Jose. They became friends with a
missionary couple there, Bill and Hilda Bradney. As God would have it, a few
years later, the Bradneys were missionaries-in-residence at my Bible college in
the States.
One
morning in class, Hilda held up a small brightly colored souvenir from Costa
Rica. I immediately recognized it. My parents had brought several of these back
from their trips.
This
piece was a yoke like oxen would wear. Hilda explained how a poorly made yoke
would cut into the neck of the beast making the work much harder and much more
painful than it needed to be. A properly made yoke was smooth and would allow
the animal to perform the task without injury.
This
was exactly what Jesus was saying in this passage. There is a hard way of doing
things, and there is an easier way. There is my way of doing thing, and there
is God’s way. Now, please don’t misunderstand, either way there is work
involved. The question is do we go about our work in a way that brings harm or
in a way that gives life?
If
we get to the end of our day exhausted from worry and stress, we have a heavy
burden from a jagged yoke. If we feel the frustration from trying to please an
unreasonable boss, client or customer, we haven’t acknowledged that there is a
higher Boss that deserves our loyalty and who completely understands (Revelation
2:2). If we feel that our success is entirely up to us, then it certainly seems
like we’re pushing a boulder uphill. All of this is the product of a rough
yoke.
God
challenges us to work hard (Proverbs 14:23), which is the kind of work that God
deserves (Colossians 3:23). But, His work doesn’t leave us bruised or broken.
Here’s the secret: you don’t have to change jobs to get a better fitting yoke.
Your success in life depends more on what happens in you than what happens
around you. That’s not merely a platitude. It’s a foundational truth in
Scripture and in the business world. I just finished When the Mighty Fall by Jim Collins last night. He compares similar
companies during similar time periods facing similar adversity. The companies
that succeed are humble, diligent, methodical and assured. The companies that
fail are arrogant, growth-obsessed, panicky and unfocused.
The
question is not which company do you work for? The question is which set of
qualities best characterizes you. One set is the result of a heavy burden,
while the other is the result of an easy yoke.
I
challenge you to lay down your way of doing things and your take on life and
ask Jesus to show you His vision for your life. Ask for His perspective. Ask
for His help. He is more than glad to give it to you.
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