From the Word:  A comfortable yoke (from Matthew 11:26 - 30)

”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 (or, ‘comfortable, pleasant’) and My burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:29 - 30 NASB)

Lord, this is cool, to imagine You as this huge strong ox, standing there on one side of a yoke, waiting for me to crouch down and slip my shoulders into the other side of the yoke.  And You, for all Your strength, will not be unpredictable or out of control, but will manage each movement so as not to cause any difficulties, surprises, or unexpected stresses beyond the capacity to be handled.  Now, I should expect that the work, the haul with You, will require my cooperation and even my best efforts, but it will be with the sense that as we are pulling together we will get the task done and accomplish our purposes!  But the first thing I must do is come to You.

Yes, I am weary; yes, I have too much on my plate right now.  The priority things are regularly overshadowed by the latest minor emergency and brush fire [and today it is a burned out headlight on the van, a broken toilet seat, a funny noise in the other car when I put on the brake, and still unresolved problems with billing for dental procedures that require more phone calls].

O to link up (or better yet, link in) with You and keep my heart close to You, eyes fixed on You (maybe that illustration doesn’t quite work here) and focus my head, and hands, and feet, to the task!  Thank You, Lord, for the promise of rest, and for the hope that You give in all things.  Amen.

Please pray with us:
In our most recent newsletter I mentioned my plan to be more intentional with accountable relationships that are essential to finishing well.  So far (and this is in addition to my organizational supervisor) I have identified three men, one local and two within 3 hours of here, that I think are candidates for this role in light of my already established relationships and an affinity with each of them regarding the direction and goals of our lives.  One has already agreed to this, although we haven’t yet talked through the details.  Please continue to pray for us as I approach the other two.  I am hoping for input and accountability that I feel I need in order to overcome any blind spots and make sure I am dealing with the priority issues in my life.   Thanks.

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