I have struggled with finishing what I start. ALL.MY.LIFE.
Significant adult voices called me lazy. A quitter. Undisciplined. Not a lot of encouragement there.
Perseverance has been a personal struggle; one I push toward in many areas daily. Finishing books can be a struggle. Creative projects. Housework. Conversations.
And blog series.
I began this summer a sharing a series of reflections on Matthew 11:28-30. A series that I have written and loved…but didn’t finishing sharing with you! So in effort to live in a brave way, I’m going to finish. Here goes:
Picking up in my reflections on Matthew 11:28-30
The last passage of our study is
My burden is light
I spent some counting time as I looked for ways other versions translated this passage. Did you know that Bible Gateway lists 53 versions of scripture that are translated in English? O those 53 only 13 translated this phrase differently. For fun I’m including them below:
AMPC My burden is light and easy to be borne.
ERV The load I give you to carry is light.
EXB the load I give you to carry is light.
GNT the load I will put on you is light.
ICB The load I give you to carry is not heavy.
MSG Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.
NCV the load I give you to carry is light.
NET my load is not hard to carry.
NIRV my load is light.
NLV My load is not heavy.
NLT the burden I give you is light.
WE What I give you to carry is not heavy.
WYC my charge is light
Matthew said it straight. Jesus’s Way of relationship faith instead of religious rules is a light load.
Why do we make it so hard? How has being a Christian become such a negative thing? Lots of reasons I’m sure but in the context of this verse my answer is we’ve added on things that Jesus never said were needed.
Maybe you’ve heard me say Paul was the first commentator of scripture; he unpacked what Jesus said within the context of the Hebrew scriptures and what Christ’s finished work means. Paul kept telling all the churches to live under the grace and freedom from the Law. In our passage of study, Jesus is contrasting the burden of the Law to the burden of grace. He was preparing His followers to walk alongside Him, to be in step with Him and not to work out their salvation through the rules of the Law. That work was finished on the Cross. Now we have right standing before God because of Jesus’s perfect, holy sacrifice.
My burden is light.
He carries the weight. IF we keep in step with Him we won’t feel the burden much at all. If we get out of step then we bump into the yoke and we feel and see our circumstances as if we are alone and overwhelmed.
Just like He said to Peter, Jesus says to us
Come.
We can walk above our circumstances, in step with the Holy Spirit of God and amazing things will transpire. Our attitude shifts. Our worries and fears fade. Our wounds and hurts get cared for by the only One who can truly heal us.
My burden is light.
Our job is to get in the yoke and keep in step. He gives us what we need in order to do that. He carries the weight.
Because of LOVE.
We can learn to live in a brave Way because we’re LOVED. Not shamed in our ways. Loved, forgiven and encouraged to let go and lean in. Hanging out close to Jesus is worth the effort of change.
Live Brave friends.