Ahhhhhhhhh! Getting Relief from Our Burdens—10 Keys: Part 1

“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.” (Mat 11:28-30)

Life is hard. It’s like hiking up a steep mountain with a heavy backpack—filled with as all types of burdens. Some of those items in our packs are essential—food, water, an extra jacket.

But many times, we are lugging unnecessary stuff and don’t know how to unload. We often take our burdens to God, yet still feel the weight afterwards. We really do try and leave it at Jesus’ feet, but as soon as we get off our knees, we take it right back.

So how do we lighten our load? Here are…

10 Keys to Getting Relief From Our Burdens

Key #1 Come to God

Jesus is inviting you to release your burdens to Him. Why should you accept His invitation? Because you can’t do it yourself. Jesus gives what no one else can give—rest from the burden of sin and the weariness of fruitless toil.

Key #2 Come Willingly and Submit

“Take my yoke upon you….”

A yoke is a wooden beam normally used between a pair of animals enabling them to pull a load together. It’s a picture of submission, of yielding to God’s ways. God will not force you to take your burdens to Him, but He invites you to do life with Him. You will have problems in this life. Whether you deal with them alone or with a powerful God who loves you is up to you.

His commands are not burdensome. (1 Jn 5:3)

Jesus is carrying the majority of the weight. Most of us don’t like that word submission, but I have found it to be a beautiful word. Following our own way merely adds to our burden. Not only will we pulling the load alone, we’ll probably wander off the right path—onto one that is unnecessarily uphill!

Key #3 Have the Right Expectation

Oftentimes we don’t find relief from our burdens because we’re simply dumping the whole kit and caboodle at Jesus’ feet saying, “Here! Take it completely away or You carry it for me!”

But Jesus didn’t say He would make our problems disappear. Although He could and sometimes does, He is wanting us to grow and learn from them. Rather, I think this is what Jesus is saying…

“Get in the yoke so that together we can carry it and you can learn what I want to teach you” (Mat 11:29-30).

Then expect Him to do His part!

Key #4 Let Jesus Teach You

What are we to learn?

**We are to learn about Jesus and from Jesus.**

He is our living example of how to deal with burdens. No one has ever had as big of a burden to bear as our Savior. He went to His Father in prayer with His concerns; He came willingly, humbly, and totally submitted to bearing the heaviest weight of all—the sins of all mankind.

The more we study His character and follow His example, the more we’ll be able to bear our load. The Holy Spirit will help you understand, accept, and apply if you are teachable.

So until next time, my friends, when you’ll learn the last 6 keys on how to get relief from your burdens…

Get in the yoke—you won’t be sorry!

Relevant blogs:
Our Compassionate Father Cannot Heal from Afar—Only Up Close
Submission A Beautiful Word