Letting go of my yoke: the fear of Cancer
Today is Tuesday— word day!
The word that I've been thinking about lately is: yoke. Yoke as it is referred to in the Bible. In the Bible the word "yoke" speaks of a wooden bar or a wooden apparatus that is placed over the necks of oxen and other pulling animals which connects them and enables them to pull carts, plows and so on—as seen in the pictures below. You can also see the ox pulling the brick with the yoke.
Often times we will read where Jesus has used the word "yoke" as a metaphor for describing the union between us—people and our labor of service. I thought about this word as I lay restless in my bed trying to go to sleep Sunday night.
Why? Fear had crept up... a slew of worries and fear were upon me. One scary scenario after another plagued my mind. For those of you who read Ann Voskamp book, you know when she talks about the fear of the big "C" word, cancer? Gosh how I can relate to that. Seems like for the past six years (that's how old my youngest is) I've been plagued with thoughts of dying from the disease—leaving my children without a mother. And it terrifies me!
That fear is what caused me to write the post Depressed by your circumstances? Those thoughts are what made me begin to give Him thanks. That's is the only thing that helps. Focusing on Him. I think participating in the Gratitude Community and reading Ann's book, along with my prayers and seeking Him is finally settling me down. But I'll get to that later. So ...
As I lay in bed ... focusing on my situation at hand, the ache and pains of my body, He came to me and said, "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
I've been carrying a heaven burden. That heavy burden has or I shall say "had" become a part of my labor of service to Him. Carrying my load of fear. Fear of getting cancer.
My mom is a breast cancer survivor and my aunt (my mother's sister) just died in December of 2010 (her funeral was on Christmas Eve). Two of my mother's brothers died from the disease and my father's parents died from it too...not to mention that my grandmother's two sisters succumbed to the dreaded C. I've been deathly afraid,. In 2009 I started something new for myself, "Giving Him thanks in all things THROGHOUT my day." So regardless of where I was I would stop and pray. I find somewhere to get along for a few seconds or minute and give thanks. That has helped me tremendously. I knew God would take the fear away, but it's been a process 'cause I continued to get in the way. What that means is that I would give my fear to him daily ONLY TO TAKE IT BACK AND WORRY AGAIN, and again, and again.
In my time of restless fear Jesus spoke to me that the burden I'm carrying is not mine to carry. My labor of service to him has been laced with restlessness, fear, doom and gloom in some aspects of my life.
We are not to carry our burdens. We weren't meant to. Doing so only brings weariness, causing us to focus on situations that are way out of our control anyway. Jesus' yoke frees us from our burdens whatever they be. I am (you are) to take refuge and rest in the promise that He loves me (us) no matter what...that is my labor of service to Him. Period. End of story. With or without cancer.
Being children of God we are to reside in the fact He loves us and His yoke is light. He is the rest for our soul.
Today take up Jesus' yoke and learn.
Did y'all pay attention to the pictures? Do you see how heavy that brick looks? I can't imagine pulling something like that on my own. Well that's how it is when we pick up loads in our life and try to "work" them out or "figure" them out on our own. Don't pull the load. You can't. It's just too heavy.
Thanks y'all. Have a blessed day!
The word that I've been thinking about lately is: yoke. Yoke as it is referred to in the Bible. In the Bible the word "yoke" speaks of a wooden bar or a wooden apparatus that is placed over the necks of oxen and other pulling animals which connects them and enables them to pull carts, plows and so on—as seen in the pictures below. You can also see the ox pulling the brick with the yoke.
Often times we will read where Jesus has used the word "yoke" as a metaphor for describing the union between us—people and our labor of service. I thought about this word as I lay restless in my bed trying to go to sleep Sunday night.
Why? Fear had crept up... a slew of worries and fear were upon me. One scary scenario after another plagued my mind. For those of you who read Ann Voskamp book, you know when she talks about the fear of the big "C" word, cancer? Gosh how I can relate to that. Seems like for the past six years (that's how old my youngest is) I've been plagued with thoughts of dying from the disease—leaving my children without a mother. And it terrifies me!
That fear is what caused me to write the post Depressed by your circumstances? Those thoughts are what made me begin to give Him thanks. That's is the only thing that helps. Focusing on Him. I think participating in the Gratitude Community and reading Ann's book, along with my prayers and seeking Him is finally settling me down. But I'll get to that later. So ...
As I lay in bed ... focusing on my situation at hand, the ache and pains of my body, He came to me and said, "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
I've been carrying a heaven burden. That heavy burden has or I shall say "had" become a part of my labor of service to Him. Carrying my load of fear. Fear of getting cancer.
My mom is a breast cancer survivor and my aunt (my mother's sister) just died in December of 2010 (her funeral was on Christmas Eve). Two of my mother's brothers died from the disease and my father's parents died from it too...not to mention that my grandmother's two sisters succumbed to the dreaded C. I've been deathly afraid,. In 2009 I started something new for myself, "Giving Him thanks in all things THROGHOUT my day." So regardless of where I was I would stop and pray. I find somewhere to get along for a few seconds or minute and give thanks. That has helped me tremendously. I knew God would take the fear away, but it's been a process 'cause I continued to get in the way. What that means is that I would give my fear to him daily ONLY TO TAKE IT BACK AND WORRY AGAIN, and again, and again.
In my time of restless fear Jesus spoke to me that the burden I'm carrying is not mine to carry. My labor of service to him has been laced with restlessness, fear, doom and gloom in some aspects of my life.
Being children of God we are to reside in the fact He loves us and His yoke is light. He is the rest for our soul.
Today take up Jesus' yoke and learn.
Did y'all pay attention to the pictures? Do you see how heavy that brick looks? I can't imagine pulling something like that on my own. Well that's how it is when we pick up loads in our life and try to "work" them out or "figure" them out on our own. Don't pull the load. You can't. It's just too heavy.
"Difficulties and obstacles are God's challenges to faith. When hindrances confront us in the path of duty, we are to recognize them as vessels for faith to fill with fullness and all-sufficiency of Jesus." ~ A.B. Simpson
Thanks y'all. Have a blessed day!
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