Are You Hitched to the Wrong Wagon?

This is a picture of a yoke. It is used to put two animals together so that the load that is being hauled will be lighter for the animals and easier to pull. It also keeps the two animals going in the same direction.

Matthew 11:29

 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.

I used to dislike reading the first part of the above verse. I just wanted to find that rest for my weary soul. You too? I was hoping for an easy way to that rest.

As I started to read it more carefully I had to envision the yoke. I knew what it looked like with two oxen where the holes were and how they seemed to be plodding along in the field with some sort of wagon or plow behind them and that did not look too restful. Not something I wanted to get involved in to find that much needed rest.

But as I reread the first part again, Jesus is talking to us and he is in the one open hole, waiting for someone to join him in the other. {I was wondering what yoke He was in?} Then I pictured my head in the open hole with Jesus in the other one. Instead of trying to do life on my own with my own strength I was now paired with the King of kings and the Creator of all things as my partner!

He is now teaching me his ways of gentleness and humility and I am using His strength to walk through each day. It is  so amazing! How could I have missed this invitation to be hitched to Jesus and walk through the most difficult of days and never have to do life alone? Each morning I "hitch up" in the yoke with Jesus and we go through each day and His strength is all I seem to need. 

Are you doing life on your own? "Hitch" your life to the only one that has the strength to see  you through and never gets weary. Now this is something to be thankful for. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Trust

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

    and lean not on your own understanding;

 

in all your ways submit to him,

    and he will make your paths straight.

This is a hard season in my life. Trust is as hard to come by as "hen's teeth" as my mom would have said. Have you been at this address? hmmm.

I needed to make sure that I understood the meaning of trust so I checked it out.

    a. reliance on the integrity, strength, and ability of a person

    b. confident expectation

Well, if I plug that into the verse in Proverbs it tells me to rely on the integrity, strength, and ability of the LORD with everything I have. Don't rely on what I am understanding of the situation. In every situation, every turn of events, I am to give it all to the LORD and he will make this crooked lane straight.

I need to start each day with confident expectations that the One that is leading me knows where we are going and He has the strength to get me there.

I can see the child on the edge of the pool and the father in the pool with outstretched arms gently telling her to jump he will catch her. The thoughts of that little girl rush across her face. Fear,great and scary thoughts of plunging into the water that is over her head and the thought of never coming up again. [shiver] But then in the next moment you see her little face staring into the eyes of her loving father with his hands outstretched and a new expression lights up her face just before she jumps into those strong waiting arms, TRUST!

I feel like that little girl on the edge of the pool. My Father has his strong arms open and he calls my name and says he will catch me. All I have to do is choose to trust him. I have a choice, stay here on the deck of the pool or jump with abandon and let those strong arms catch me and make this "path straight." I think I will jump, are you able to jump into his waiting arms also? 

Choose to trust!

Are you a planner? Do you have a daytime planner you faithful use? Is your calendar filled with places to go and people to see?

You aren’t alone in this endeavor to keep up with this fast paced world we live in. We don’t want to miss a doctor’s appointment or lunch with a friend, or your child’s holiday play.

Did you know that Jesus was a planner! Yep he had appointments that he kept. He had an appointment with a woman that was not a favorite in her town. But Jesus had the appointment in his “day planner” to meet the woman of Sychar at the well and tell her about living water that never runs out that is eternal life.

He also had an appointment with a guy that was living in a cemetery and was a little “off”. But Jesus had this guy in his plans and took a boat to where he was and healed him of the demons that held him captive. This was his plan for the day and he always keeps his promise to be there.

Did you know you are on Jesus’ “day planner”? He has left you word, did you get it? In Jeremiah he says,

“I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Don’t miss what he has for you today. Check out his letters to you in the Bible. He has so much love waiting for you to find.

Is He on your planner for today?