"You say your yoke is easy, you say your burden is light"- Taya Smith

Geuss what's coming up...another solo. September 11th is the date and all week and last week I've struggled to find a song to sing. I've just been like "God what do I sing?". The other day though God spoke to me. So, a few months ago, I was singing this song in the car and my friend told me to sing it for a solo and I was like no its too hard but maybe. I listen to the song regularly, so I know the lyrics pretty well and this week I was reading in 1 John, and it reverted me to Matthew. It gave me the verse Matthew 11:28-30.

"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." - Matthew 11:28-30

Immediately after reading this verse, I thought of the song I once sang confidently in the front seat of that car. I knew right then God was telling me to sing the song For All My Life by Taya Smith. I remembered a line in the song, " You say your yoke is easy, you say your burden is light". It stuck out so clearly; I just knew it had to be God. Right after I left my study hall after reading that verse, the song played, and it was a gentle reminder to me that this was the song I needed to sing.

"I know your yoke is easy, I know your burden is light, so I'll let you lead me for all my life. " - Taya smith

I like to learn about the songs I sing usually before I sing them, and the cool thing about this is i learned some new things. Whenever I think about yoke, I think of a dark yellow egg yolk, but really in this verse it is referring to an oxen yoke, which is a heavy wooden harness that would be put on oxen and attached to equipment the oxen pulled.

So why is Jesus' talking about him having a yoke? He's not meaning an actual oxen "Yoke" of course, He's actually referring to the challenges, work, and difficulties of following him as disciple. Some characteristics of carrying a yoke is it weighs us down, is heavy, hardworking, difficult, tiring, and bearing. So, when Jesus says these things about his burden being light and yoke being easy, it reveals to us that his bigger shoulders carry the greater weight. He has more pulling power to help us with this yoke. When we start to understand this, we see that we are pulling this yoke with a partner who carries the greater weight and makes our burdens light. I think it is so cool to think that the things that make us heavy and the things we bear, God can help us with. That we don't have to carry these heavy burdens like the oxen do with a yoke, because God gives us rest and lightens our burdens.

On that note, Sunday I'm singing For All My Life by Taya Smith, and I pray it goes well and that God will get the glory as I sing his praises. I also pray that this will be a reminder to people they don't have to carry these heavy burdens.

- Here is the link to the song For All My life- Taya Smith

https://youtu.be/-XARNnslBRY