The Yoke

It seems funny & weird & awesome when I KNOW that God is talking to me, teaching me & leading me. This week, for instance... I went to Bible study where we were talking about

Matthew 11:28-30 (King James Version)

²⁸Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

²⁹Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

³⁰For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Well, we live in a small, farming community and our church consists of many wise farmers. So the discussion went into a yoke, how to train a young, wild horse by putting it in a yoke with a steady, older horse. As I was sitting there, I was thinking of myself & how pointless it is to dance around in a frenzy & get all worked up over things, when I'm attached to Old Faithful, Jesus, who's not budging. He's steady & strong & carrying most of the weight.

Then I started to think about my children and how that same principle,

the yoke, can be used when training them.

Slow & steady. A little bit at a time.

Keeping them next to me. Calm, cool & collected. In control.

THEN, I came home, got every one in bed, read for a little bit, checked my email & read a post from Simply Charlotte Mason that read...

Help Strengthen the Will

When I learned this principle, it changed the way I looked at my child. I had been thinking that my child had a strong will, and it was my job to dig in my heels and butt heads with her to show that my will was stronger. I was my child’s opponent in the battle of the wills.

But once I understood this principle, I suddenly realized that she did not have a strong will—one that had enough power to choose what was right even when she wanted what was wrong. She had a weak will that constantly chose the easy path of “I want.” It was my job to help her strengthen her will to be able to choose what was right, even when she didn’t want what was right. I was not her opponent; I needed to be her coach.

Then, I read this...

Last week we discovered that, according to Charlotte Mason, what we often call a strong-willed child is really a child with a weak will. Today let’s talk a little about how to help our children develop strong wills that can choose to do what is right even when they don’t feel like doing it.

I grew up around horses, and I distinctly remember my father warning me about letting my pony run to the barn at the end of a ride. “It will get into the habit of running to the barn,” he cautioned. “And soon you won’t be able to control it.”

Once when I was visiting some friends, we took some of their horses out for a ride. After a while we turned back for home, and I found out how scary an out-of-control horse can be. As soon as the horse I was riding saw the barn, it took off. It didn’t matter how hard I pulled on the reins or tried to turn its head. That horse was going where it wanted, and I had no way to stop it.

Okay, Jesus. I get it. Take your yoke upon me.

Rest.

Be cool. Be calm. Be in control. I get it.

I love that my Lord & Savior delights in me and

is carrying my burden as we walk along this journey.

Jesus is personal! Jesus is alive! Jesus is God!

In His Grip,

Laura