yoke of Christ

 Matthew 11:28-30
"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me;  for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden in light."

Galatians 5:1
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

I love these 2 scriptures, and especially the image of a yoke (picture Oxen yoked together).  I came across this in my further study of the word "yoke." 

 Yoke
A device put around the necks of animals or men to harness them together. The yoke of Christ is a symbol for discipleship, whereas the yoke of bondage is a symbol for oppression.


"A yoke is a device that allows two animals to fairly and comfortably share a burden that one alone would find difficult or impossible. It is still used in many parts of the world today where animals plow fields or pull wagons. 


Speaking of the Savior’s yoke, President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95), fourteenth President of the Church, said: “His yoke requires a great and earnest effort, but for those who truly are converted, the yoke is easy and the burden becomes light. …


“Obviously, the personal burdens of life vary from person to person, but every one of us has them. … To one and all, Christ said, in effect: As long as we all must bear some burden and shoulder some yoke, why not let it be mine? My promise to you is that my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

It's interesting that we don't get to choose whether or not we carry a yoke, but we can choose to be yoked with Christ or we can shoulder the burden of sin (on our own).  I also was thinking about how we could help others burdens be lighter - how it talked about the yoke of Christ being a symbol for discipleship.  The service we give to others is a way of being yoked with the Savior. 


I'm grateful today for a friend who helped my burden be lighter today.  She watched my kids so I could get some exercise.  It was very liberating getting some time to myself.