Taking His Yoke

In my living room I have this beautiful painting of the Savior by Simon Dewey.
Underneath the picture is this scripture:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

If you've ever wondered what a "yoke" is, here's a picture:

It's used by oxen to carry a load. With two strong oxen yoked together, they are able to carry a heavy load together. Imagine how difficult that same load would be to pull if there were only one ox working to pull it.

So it is in life. One can carry a load all on his own, or come unto Christ and take His yoke upon him. When I feel like my load is NOT easy and my burden is NOT light, I take some time to ask myself sincerely: "Am I yoked with Christ?" Next comes the necessary course corrections (repentance) that brings me back to Him, under His yoke. I appreciate that my burden is not taken away from me. I am not absolved of the burdens of life by coming unto Christ, rather I am helped in pulling the weight that I am given to bear. And with Him, my burdens are lighter and I can bear them with ease, submitting "cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord." (Mosiah 24:15)

I do my best to remember the Savior's Atonement. I remember that He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane so that when I repent of my sins and come unto Him that I do not have to suffer the full weight of my sins. I know He did this because He loves me. I choose to show my love to Him in return by yoking myself to Him and by being willing to humbly, willingly accept the will of the Lord in my life.