My Burden is Light

Today I find myself reflecting on the following words of Jesus: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Although burdens find their way to everyone—it is an inescapable aspect of being human—we also have a tendency to create some of our own burdens. Our desire for success leads us to the burden of perfectionism. Our desire for control leads to the burden of loneliness. Our desire to live someone else’s life instead of our own leads to the burden of envy. I believe this is what Jesus was getting at when he said “learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” When we relinquish our desires and walk in Jesus’ way of humility and trust, our burdens are lifted and we find peace.

Another aspect of these words of Jesus that I hadn’t considered before come from Rev. Mel Williams: “A yoke is a harness, like the yoke over the shoulders of an ox. But Jesus’ yoke is not restrictive; it provides a useful structure. His yoke is easy. It’s really a gift, a practice that harnesses for us a pathway to newness, aliveness. ‘Learn from this gift, this way that I offer you,’ Jesus says. ‘My burden is light.’ Did you get the double meaning? My burden is not heavy, but also…my burden is light—energy.”

Light doesn’t weigh anything, but it infuses us with the energy to act; think about how you feel when it has been cloudy for a week and the sun emerges. Similarly, the “yoke” of humility and obedience that Christ offers puts us on the path of love and gives us the energy to share God’s love with others, which leads us to lightness of heart.

“Come to me,” Jesus said. “Learn from me.” Are we ready to follow the Light of the world?