Read: Jeremiah 29:11 and Matthew 11:28-30
I usually do not visit my mother during the weekends of the summer months. The route that I have to take to her house is also the main road to the beach. Every summer, thousands of vacationers leave the hustle and bustle of city life and head to the soothing waters of the ocean. About mid-way of this journey east, there is a toll bridge. The thousands of motorists must all come to a stop at the toll booth to then continue across a two lane bridge. At the peak of the summer season, traffic can get backed up for miles leading to the bridge. There have been times that the delay has added two hours onto my trip!
We purchased an EZ Pass in the hope that it would help to speed us through the toll booth. It allows us to prepay our tolls, alleviating the need to fumble for money or to come to a complete stop to hand the fee to the toll employee. Most toll booths also have a designated lane set aside for holders of the EZ Pass. Unfortunately, most of the time we have to navigate through a tangled mass of cars that have gotten into the EZ Pass lane by mistake and have blocked our way.
Against our better judgment, we decided to visit my mom on the Fourth of July weekend. I went two days ahead of the rest of my family to assist with pre-cookout preparations. I was counting on having only about a half-hour delay since I was getting ahead of the peak hours of travel. As I approached the bridge, traffic began to get heavy. To my surprise, there were signs directing motorists with an EZ Pass to an exit at the left end of the toll booth. The State Highway Administration (SHA) had added an additional lane to the booth since my last visit. This lane brought me directly to the booth without getting tangled with all the other traffic and prevented those without the pass from entering. I was so happy. That one improvement allowed me to speed pass hundreds of cars and continue on my way without a hitch!
All I could think of was how much this was like our walk with the Lord. Jesus said that His yoke is easy. Let's think on the word yoke for a moment. Oxen were yoked together to work the fields. Placed around the neck the yoke kept them on course. The yoke kept them focused on the task. The yoke kept them under submission to the farmer. But the yoke also added extra weight that they had to carry, and that burden was heavy.
We too can be yoked either to Christ and His purposes for our lives or to our own selfish desires fueled by the enemy's delusions. The question is, which yoke are we going to put on? Scripture says, "Take my yoke. . ." implying that it is something we have to do. Simply being saved does not guarantee that we are wearing His yoke. I had to make a decision about getting into the EZ Pass lane. Possessing the pass did not automatically put me into the designated lane. I chose to move over at the direction of the signs. We must make a decision about walking in the will of the Lord. Our salvation is equivalent to possessing the EZ Pass, but whether or not we access the purpose of God for our lives is based on our choosing to follow the "signs" of the Holy Spirit. These signs keep us on course, keep us focused on the task and keep us under submission to the Father's will.
My trip to visit my mom was so much easier. I still had to drive the 100 miles to get there, but it was not the burden that it could have been if I had not chosen the path that had been mapped out for me by the SHA. Likewise, there will be many things that we will have to do as we journey the road of life. But oh, how easy and light they will seem when we choose to walk out the path that God designs.
Prayer
Lord, You have a wonderful plan for my life, one that I could not even begin to figure out on my own. I pray that you will teach me how to hear Your voice and to follow the signs that You place along the way. May I take on Your yoke and walk in total submission to Your will. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
