At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.
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.” MT 11:25-30
Why has God chosen to reveal all things to the childlike (12 uneducated, hard working, as normal as they come guys)? We must become like a child to love God. The only world a young person knows until they are 18 and on their own is one protected by their parents, priests, and teachers. A child trusts without fear because they believe in you. They don’t question, just trust. They are kind and generous. Their love melts your heart. The Word of God does not need anyone with an ego, it needs love and someone to believe in it without questioning it. The Word needs people with unwavering faith, trust, and a love that will melt your heart. Not a love that expects something in return. This is where God planted the Word in Jesus and this is where it blossoms.
Next, Jesus calls us to himself as a place of peace. In this “valley of tears”, where we battle each day with a fallen human nature and with others’ fallen human natures it can be full of worry, anxiety, tears, and lost hope. All I have to do is read the news or listen to the radio on the way to work. Everyday life can get you down at times worrying about work, our kids, life stuff and our purpose. I think Jesus is also talking about something different today. If you choose to love, really love, and you are battling Satan and your fallen human nature faithfully(labor and are burdened) Jesus is always there to give us rest. It may not seem like it, but we all know no matter how long or hard the battle is there is always rest and peace at the end or at least glimpses of it. Then, Jesus says something interesting, “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.” A yoke is put around oxen’s necks to pull the plow. Jesus is not asking us to carry his weight of the burdens of all sin by humanity but to put on meekness and humility of heart. Meekness does not mean to be shy, but a meek person will come off as one who is not a fighter (at least on the outside). Meekness is solid as a rock on the inside, always faithful and confident with a humble heart trusting in God’s providence. Humility is recognizing the One greater than you and serving Him through obedience. Humility means not being proud. These qualities on the outside look like a passive person, but when you really get to know the heart of someone you either find a person who is scared, untrustworthy, and not loyal or you find someone who is solid as a rock. Meekness and humility take patience and are calm in times of turbulent storms. They help a person not to allow the highs to get too high and the lows to get too low-be at peace.
Today’s challenge: Be childlike in your approach to the revealed Word of God. Trust, believe, do not fear!
Don’t allow the highs of the day to get too high and the lows to get too low. Offer up any worry and anxiety or negative thoughts to Jesus and let Him take care of them. Then, be solid as a rock and experience peace and joy!
Become a saint!
Christian YOLO
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