Tue., Feb. 15/22
A lone ox plods wearily through the mud dragging behind it a burdensome wagon load of hay. It’s back aches from the taskmaster’s whip, and now something worse threatens. The master seeks to place a heavy wooden burden around its neck. No, No, my load is enough, thinks the animal. Surely the adding of this will only cause me more grief! It’s rubbing against my neck will certainly add to my sorrows. It will constrict my free movement. It will limit where I turn and what things I may wish to gaze upon. I must escape it at all cost!
And so the beast tries…
But soon, in its struggles, the beast grows weary. Perhaps surrender would be less tiresome than resistance. I may soon collapse anyway, it reasons… exhaustion making the bearing of it all the more troublesome. Resigning itself to this, the beast relents. The dreaded thing is draped across its neck!
But what’s this? Another beast is brought alongside it. A much larger, more muscular bovine than itself. Immediately the yoked beast began to push forward, a slight longer stride thus bearing the greater brunt of the load. In this way the task of the first is made much lighter. The larger animal adding the greater strength… Why had I fought this thing so long, thought the ox?
Thus to us our Lord invites,
“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.” (Matt. 11:28-30, NIV)
Press on…
Pressing on... 