How Do You Do It?

“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.”

Matthew 11: 28-30


Have you ever had someone say to you, “I just don’t know how you do it”? When that happens to me I wonder if they are seeing the same thing I am. What are they talking about? I am stumbling and learning my way through this thing called life just like every other mom. No matter how organized I am it doesn’t change that my kids are still little individual human beings with their own ideas of how things should go and that idea usually conflicts with mine. No matter how much sleep I get they still exhaust me. I cry with my kids, laugh with them, yell at them and when they have forgotten whom they are talking to, they occasionally yell at me.

As a mom there are days where I can feel so weary and burdened, my load feels too heavy. I know I am not the only one that has mornings where I wake-up knowing what the day has in store for me and wishes I could hide under the covers. But mom doesn’t get to call in sick so I roll out of bed, put my big girl panties on and ready myself for the day. On days like that, I am praying for God’s help before I lift my head off the pillow.

The truth is I am not some extra special woman that has the ability to do things that others can’t. But there is, inside of me, someone who is extra special and that is Jesus. He deserves all the credit for anything that I do that gets an “I don’t know how you do it.” All I do is draw on His strength because in my own I am a mess of weakness that just wants to stay hidden under the covers.

In Matthew 11:28-30 Jesus is telling us how to ‘do it’ whatever ‘it’ maybe. He tells us to take up his yoke. In order for me to take up His yoke, it means I am going to have to set aside my own. Picture with me two oxen separately yoked and ready to pull their own loads. I don’t know much about yoking oxen together but it seems to me that it would be rather difficult to have two separate yokes on, connected to two separate loads. So in order to take His yoke upon me, which we also learned in this verse, is easy with a light burden, I am going to have to set aside my own load. I don’t know about you but my load can be very heavy so I am all for a lighter burden.

So what happens to my load? Does it just sit there collecting dust as I forget all about it? That’s very unlikely, burdens have a way of reminding you they are there, especially the little ones that walk and talk and pull on the back of your shirt when they need something. And before anyone gets their panties in a bunch that I just called their child a burden, a burden does not mean a nuisance or a pest, it is simply a load that you carry, a difficult load. I would say that children fall into that category, a blessing, yet a load, and at times, difficult. Now look at what Jesus tells us in this verse once we have taken His yoke upon us. He says to learn all about me. As we learn all about Jesus we are going to learn better how to deal with our load or burden and realize that we are not alone in dealing with it. We have the super power of all super powers yoked up with us ready to help.

Jesus loves you more than you can even fathom. He is on your side. He is doing more than cheering you on…He is with you putting his muscle into it. He will walk with you through your mess, sometimes He will carry you, He will hug you, but mostly He will love you. He is strong and mighty. There is no one I would rather be yoked up with.

I encourage you this week to take some time to learn about Jesus. What is He teaching you about Himself? Is it how much He loves you, His patience, His understanding, His devotion, His forgiveness? Whatever it is, take the time to yoke up with Him and learn all about Him.

by Courtney


Click on this link for Tenth Avenue North, By Your Side http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J95rAr0gOFU