Where do I Start??

What does one post as their first blog?  This is all new to me – not the writing, but the blogging part, in other words, the ‘posting publicly for others to read & respond’ part.  I’ve considered it in the past, but there was always an excuse – I didn’t want to take the time to set it up, or have the pressure of always creating/writing something new.  And then there are all the unspoken fears, or lies, in the back of my mind that come with it:  What is no one reads it?  What if no one cares?  What if I run out of words or ideas to communicate?  What if someone is offended by what I write?  What if I misuse or misinterpret God’s Word in any of my writing, or maybe worse, misrepresent Christ &/or His church of believers?

Over the past couple years I had a couple ‘trial runs’ by writing and posting some thoughts on my facebook page.  To my surprise, people read, responded and even ‘liked’ them!  As I shared one of them with some friends verbally, I was actually asked if I ever considered ‘blogging’.  Yikes, there it was.  It felt like too much commitment, & maybe too much exposure, just ‘putting myself out there’.

Alas, here I am, writing, posting…’blogging’, if you will.  Most importantly, sharing my heart, my thoughts, my feelings, my perspective on life with others, as a follower of Jesus journeying through this life on earth, as one who is yoked with Him.

“Yoked with Him??!” you may ask.  “Why that phrase?”  Or maybe you’re thinking, “What does that even mean?”  Or, “Does anyone still use a yoke?”  First of all, with a name like ‘Lisa Smith’ you are forced to be creative with email addresses, usernames, logins, titles and such.  And as I considered the title & site of this blog, it seemed as though the Lord very clearly pointed me to one of my favorite passages of Scripture, Matthew 11:28-30 [Jesus speaking]:

²⁸ Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ 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. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Before our modern time of tractors and equipment, farmers used oxen attached to a yoke in order to work the ground, plowing, planting, or even moving a heavy load.  A yoke is essentially a wooden beam attached to the heads or necks of oxen or other animals that enable them to work together to pull a heavy load or to pull a plow, digging through hard soil.

Here, in Matthew chapter 11, Jesus uses a symbol that His listeners know and probably have used.  But He puts Himself in the yoke, and calls them to put HIS yoke on them, rather than trying to pull the load on their own.  Often a young ox would be taught, or ‘broke’, by yoking them with an older more experienced one.  The experienced ox would take the lead while the younger one would be forced to follow.  Jesus INVITES us to take His yoke upon us and learn from Him.

Sometimes I try to take the yoke on my own, without His help or sometimes I even try yoking myself with others.  Yet, anything outside of Jesus will always prove to be exhausting, laborious and heavy-laden.  But when I choose to respond to His invitation to take His yoke upon myself, and to learn from Him, the gentle & humble teacher, I will find rest for my soul, for His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

With whom, or with what, are you yoked today?  Yourself and your own self-sufficiency (or the illusion of it)?  Another person, besides Christ?  Or maybe an object, like money, sex, work or perfectionistic performance?  As He stands before you, wearing the yoke and inviting you to join Him, how will you respond?  Will you enter into His yoke alongside Him, willing to stay at His side, follow His lead and learn from Him?  He does not promise that it will be simple or even easy, in the sense of not challenging our potential waywardness, but He does promise His presence and His gentleness with us, and in a much deeper way, His rest.

Yoked with Him,

Lisa