Matthew 11:25-30 New Living Translation (NLT)

25 At that time Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding these things from those who think themselves wise and clever, and for revealing them to the childlike. 26 Yes, Father, it pleased you to do it this way!

27 “My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 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. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Last night, as Doug and I walked around the track at the soccer field, I began reciting “The List” to him (“The List” is anything and everything having to do with our lives, our marriage, our children, the job and the ministry that needs decisions made or things done). He patiently listened and empathized with my struggle, but in the end he offered several points of wisdom and encouraged me to pray- and wait.

I don’t like to wait. I want an answer NOW, because when I have “The List” all checked off, I can rest!

This, however, I am learning, is not true rest.

On New Years Day 2012, the Lord gave me a vision of myself in a yoke with Jesus. I was leading…running ahead, straining myself, and I was completely exhausted trying to navigate the road ahead. Even more frustrating was trying to decide which road to take!

Almost immediately, I knew what God was trying to show me. I was failing to humble myself before the King of Kings and allow HIM to teach – and lead me. Instead, I was striving to do everything by myself. The consequences for my actions were heavy burdens, which did not belong to me, and a yoke that was impossible for me to carry.

This morning as I was praying, this same passage of scripture came to mind…and I was reminded of the vision.

“Surely, this must be for someone else, Lord….not ME again?!?” (flash back to last nights conversation with Doug…and how overwhelmed I was feeling).

Uh….yeah….it’s me.

Once again, as the demands of life have begun piling up, I’ve inadvertently started picking up burdens, which aren’t mine to carry, and the weight of answering & fulfilling the “The List” was beginning to crush the yoke around my neck:

-Doug hasn’t been paid for multiple weeks of consulting work….and the bills keep rolling in.

-Our oldest is starting High School in another year. How will I be able to teach her and ensure she meets all the requirements she needs for college?

-Our middle 2 daughters want to be involved in theatre, but lessons are costly and I want them to honor God in all that they do, without having to compromise their beliefs.

-Should I plan more play dates and extra-cirricular activities for our son (so he stops pestering his sisters)….or should Doug just take him outside every day and body slam him!?!

-We have a mound of paperwork and scheduling that needs to be done for the ministry… …when am I gonna be able to get it all done?!?

God promises that if I surrender myself to Jesus’ lead, within the yoke He designed for me, I will be able to pull the burdens He gives me to carry with ease. Even when the road ahead seems treacherous and difficult to maneuver, I can trust Him to lead me, and I will find rest for my soul.

Jesus beckoned me to come to Him again this morning…..and when I did, He lovingly showed me that I had not submitted “The List” to Him. Once I realized this, I repented for trying to carry the burden on my own- and not trusting Him to lead. The result was a miraculous and instantaneous one: my burden was lightened and my yoke was made easy.

After I rested in Him for a while, I began asking questions pertaining to “The List” and wouldn’t ya know it- He answered some of them immediately, and others, He said “wait….”  That’s exactly what the man who leads me- and our family- said last night! (there’s probably another lesson here that Jesus wants to teach me about trusting my husband, and following his lead, huh?!?).