Sharing the Burden

Sometimes in the middle of a sermon it is like the preacher is speaking straight to your heart.   When the preacher starts talking about those who have the disease where you have to do everything yourself I knew that message was for me.  Straight from God's lips.  This is always something that I have struggled.  For too long in my life if I didn't do it then it didn't get done.  And right now I am starting to think that maybe thats ok.  Maybe its okay when things don't always get done, or maybe not to my liking.  Life can be such a burden when you feel like you have to do it all yourself, but this morning at church has been an exhibit for sharing the burden.
It started off with a wonderful Sunday school class where the four of us got to share our opinions and for none of us to be burdened by carrying the load, we all got to share.  Then in the service I got to witness our congregation ban together as the family I think of us as to pray for one of our members who is having a tough time right now.  As we all laid ours hands on each other we were praying together and offering to try to share the burden that she and her family are facing the best that we can.  In the sermon today the preacher said something that I had never thought about when talking about 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.”)  He told us to think about a yoke.  A yoke connects two animals together so that they can share the burden of the work.  These to animals work together to help each other get the task done.  In this verse Jesus is offering to be tied to the yoke with us and to carry that burden.  Just like in Sunday school we talked about how Ruth was eventually able to pull Naomi out of her bitterness.  Christians are supposed to live their lives in fellowship with each other and to help carry the burdens of our brethren.  Just like what happened in my church this morning we are willing to take up the other side of the yoke when we can to lighten the load.  Of course Jesus is much better at lightening the load than we are, but I don't know about you, I could certainly use any burden lightening that I can get.  
That visual image of Jesus carrying the yoke with me and taking the burden off my shoulders was so powerful for me.  Its like I could actually feel it lifting that burden off of me.  The other part of that was so touching to me was just to hear him talk about some of the way that we can lighten the burden and sometimes that can be as simple as with kindness.  This is something that I really struggle with.  On the inside I am a caring person, but outward kind words and other displays of kindness are not my strong suit, but this is what God is calling me to work on.  If I can be kind to help lighten the load then that is what I need to do and sometimes it doesn't matter, it can be left undone.  
All through the sermon this Crowder song played in my head:

Crowder – Come As You Are Lyrics

Come out of sadness from wherever you've been
Come broken-hearted, let rescue begin
Come find your mercy, oh sinner come Kneelkneal
Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal
Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't heal

So Lay down your burdens, lay down your shame
All who are broken, lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home, you're not too far
So lay down your hurt, lay down your heart
Come as you are

There's hope for the hopeless and all those who've strayed
Come sit at the table, come taste the grace
There's rest for the weary, rest that endures
Earth has no sorrow that heaven can't cure.

So lay down your burdens, lay down your shame
All who are broken, lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home, you're not too far
So lay down your hurt, lay down your heart
Come as you are...
Come as you are...
Fall in His arms...
Come as you are...

There's joy for the morning, oh sinner be still
Earth has no sorrow, that heaven can't heal
Earth has no sorrow, that heaven can't heal

So lay down your burdens, lay down your shame
All who are broken, lift up your face
Oh wanderer come home, you're not too far
So lay down your hurt, lay down your heart
Come as you are, Oh Ooh Oh Ooh Ooh

Come as you are, Oh Ooh Oh Ooh Ooh
Come as you are
Come as you are