I
starting writing this in the pain clinic waiting room at the VA
hospital. My son was having a procedure to try to diagnose the source
of his constant back pain. I’m pretty sure that lugging 80 pound packs
around Afghanistan for over a year has something to do with it.But explaining it doesn’t fix it. And so I sat there, feeling anxious and unsettled. It seems unfair that a young man should be dealing with chronic back problems, while his old man is in pretty good shape. I wish I could trade places with him.
What helps me is to know that Jesus is Lord of my son’s life, and of mine. Our Jesus said, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:30). A yoke, of course, is a wooden frame that enables draught animals to pull a load together.
The way you train a young animal to pull a burden is by yoking him with an older, stronger, more experienced animal. The reason Jesus’ yoke is easy and the burden light is that He’s carrying the weight while He teaches us how to walk the right way.
Another thing. Wooden yokes were shaped to the necks of the oxen that bore them. The Greek word translated "easy" can mean "well-fitted." My son's yoke is different from mine, but both were shaped for us by our Savior. The Christian life is about trusting Him to bear the weight and lead the way.
