” The Yoke “

• Not The Only One!
• Post #97
• 28 Sept. 23  
•                 ” The  Yoke “
• Howdy,
• Welcome  once more. What do you  guys think about  when  you see or hear the word yoke? . It’s not a popular  word or something  we hear or think about   much outside  of  how we like our eggs.☺️☺️. I think  that  once we get  past breakfast  it’s about  putting  two or more  things together.  I  believe  that  the traditional use and meaning of the word  is  about  putting  two animals together  to  be burdened with  some kind of  a  load. It’s usually  oxen, and  it’s  usually  about  one stronger  or more mature  animal  teamed up with a lesser  , and  some form of training for the younger  one.  This is some time  referred to as a team of animals and  it could be  horses or sled dogs as well,  but the general  concept  is  that there is strength in  numbers and  that two  or more are better  than  one, when  it comes to sharing a load. A physical  yoke is usually  something  made of wood and joins the animals together  around the  neck or shoulder  area.  Oddly  enough this is the exact  same  word used   in the Bible on two occasions.  One is referring  to  an invitation that Jesus makes to team up  with  Himself , and  He says that His yoke is easy and  His burden is  light. The  references points back to  the  previous  verse which  speaks  to  all of us who  are  weary and loaded  down with what seems  to  be endless  burdens.  If ,you are walking  through  life and  don’t  feel  or aware  of  the pressures of  life,  then  you may want to  check  your  pulse, because  you  are  probably living in  some  alternate universe ☺️☺️, or something much  worse. We will  double  back to  this  in a moment.  The other  time  that yoke is mentioned,  refers to  people  getting  married.  I’m  going  to  simplify  this for you and  tell  you  that  people who are in the family of God,  born again  believers should not  be joined together with  people  who  do not share that  same designation.  I  sometimes  talk about  my son, being  one of those people who just has to touch the stove after  you tell  him  it’s hot.  I  also  said that, yes he can  be  a  chip off of the old block ☺️☺️.  I’m not going to  drill down  on the finer points,  because I  don’t want  to  loose anyone.☺️ In the big picture of things,  the perspectives  can  be totally and completely  different, and perspectives matter .  I know  that  we are in this crazy time of diversity,  but  I  don’t  think in a marriage, that would necessarily  be a good thing. I’m not saying that  you  need to  be hitched to a clone of yourself,  but I  think  the more  commonality the greater chance for long term success.  This  has nothing to  do  with  interracial  marriages, so  get  that out of your  head, but it goes more to mindset. 
• All relationships and marriages  have  conflicts and hopefully  conflict  resolution as well,  but its not something that  you  want  built in from the  start. Life  has plenty  of  stress-related  events without  having  to  sleep  with them and trying to  do life with  them. 
• We  meet  people, and most  of  us  have  some  cute story about  how we met and got started.  More and  more  that gets  to  be about  some dating  app. I  hate to think that  the organic thing  is  over, but  if your  choices are  people  from  work  or some  other  social group,  just  say No !,  unless  you  are  prepared to  sever things there ,  if it doesn’t work out,  because  it  can  get  awkward and  weird in a flash☺️☺️. So, we meet  someone and we decide to  give it a go,  and  because God’s kids look  just  like  everyone  else on the outside,  it may not be obvious in the beginning that your mindsets  come from  two different  arenas.  I have said before that sometimes  God’s  kids  look  just  like  everyone else  , and  on some of the  places,  where they should  look very  different.  There are  no perfect  people on this  side of eternity, so we all have  deficiencies and  flaws.
• I’m not a prude, and most of the time I  try  to  think  of  myself  as  objective and  somewhat  realistic when it  comes to  life and  people.  I’m not saying  that I  have  it all figured out,  and if anything,  quite the opposite.  Every morning I  get  up, thank God that I  can  still  draw  breath  and go from  there.  I  think  that we are on a rapid  course to see how we can  turn  the world  upside  down and  not in a good way.  When  we  see things in our culture and  society  become more and more  fragmented,  and driven by  hatred and slighted agendas,  I think  that we should weep. As believers,  I  think the things that  breaks God’s  heart, should  break  ours as well.  If we are created in His image and  reflect His character,  then  we should  reflect the  heart of God as well.  Fundamentally,  God paid much to high of a price for us to sit back and  judge who is worthy and who isn’t.  We should  be  much  like  an action movie,  but  instead of  saying  kill them  all and let God sort them  out.  We should be  inviting  everyone  to  the  party,  with  grace and  love, and God will  still  do the sorting at the end of days☺️☺️ God lead the way and went all in on us, by sending  His son,   and our best efforts at times comes across  as  iffy or apathetic.  We like  to pick and choose when  and what to engage  in. We can  be all in when  it comes to feeding  orphans,  after all, that one can  be  a  no brainer,  but perhaps  a much more  lax or casual  approach to  let’s say the sanctity of marriage.  I  only  bring  this up because, when  you  become  yoked to another  person,  these things  matter,  and a home divided  will  have  many hardships.  Here is a example for you, and one that most  couples  struggle with at one time or another, money . A kingdom  minded  person who  believes  that  everything that  they  own,  possess, or have the ability to  manage is from God. A none kingdom  minded  person  may believe  that  everything that they  own and possess is the result  of  their  own hard work.  If they  fail to  consider where their  good health  comes from and the use of their  mind and body, to say nothing  about  opportunities  laid out  before  them, they may be just a  little  less likely to  want  to  return  any portion of  their  time, talents, and  treasures to God.  God doesn’t  need  Your  money,  He  wants your heart, and if He has that , everything else will  fall  into  place.  I’m not painting a  picture of  a cake walk,  but there is something to be said for having your priorities in order.
• I will  confess that I  may laugh at  certain  things, that I probably shouldn’t,  and sometimes when I  watch a comic or some  other entertainment,  I can  become  offended, but I’m  not  writing  letters to  sponsors,  I’m choosing to  give them  the  benefit of the doubt,  and  think that they  don’t  know  any better.   This  is  one  of  those areas where I  may look just  like  everyone else.  I’m not telling you that  you  may not find me out at a Buffalo wild wings on a Saturday  watching  college  football,  while  consuming a beer.  You possibly may run into me at a concert  from  some Rock or R&B  band that I  grew up  with,  or perhaps a gun show, or an  RV show. The point is that,  God’s kids  are all over and everywhere and participating in  various activities.  We own businesses and  yes some own bars, and other  such enterprises  that people  may think that believers  should not be  vested in, but at the end of the day, it’s about  how do you use those  resources to  honor God and grow  His kingdom.  There are lines that I don’t  believe that I should  cross, but that’s just  me. Others may  have  no problem  crossing  certain  lines and  have a  completely  different understanding  from  God about  what should  take place  there. There are a lot of places in  the  Bible,  where God may be quiet on certain  things,  but the  places where He has spoken directly,  should  be a  cause to pay attention and  if it requires  some kind  of  commitment or obedience,  then we have to determine  whether  we want to  drag our feet  or  not.
• I  believe that  there  is  a  time and place for opposition,  the exchange of  ideas and  perspectives,  but You can’t  be yoked to another  person and be pulling  in two different  directions…you get nowhere  with  that one. We can  be  different, but  not to the extremes  so much.  We have to be joined at our core and foundation,  if anything  is  going to  be  built  there, such as  family.  I  brought  up  money,  but  how about  something so much  more  important than  money and that would  be  the  raising of  off spring.  I guess my understanding of  parenthood is  very  outdated and  obscure, but I  always  believed that  my job was to guide , train and encourage them  to  be the best that they  could be. I’m completely  baffled that we can  spend  so much effort  on  teaching  our children  certain  aspects of  life,  but when  it comes to  the  most  important  areas of life,  we think  that  they should  just  be  able to  figure  it  out  on their  own.  I  don’t  want  them  to  be  burdened with  some  religion.  It’s like saying  that I  don’t  have  anything  in my life that I  feel  is worth  passing  on to you. Should  we  be  surprised that when all of the stuff  that we did  share and think  was so important,  let’s them  down and  they  loose hope, should we  be surprised when  it leads to  depression or something  worse?, probably not so much !. We are  just  filled  and surrounded by  people  who  have  no hope.  However,  the opposite is  true  as  well,  and  it is  much  the head scratcher☺️☺️. I  have  met people who  were raised  in  some religious practice, which  they  can  certifiably admit to  getting  absolutely nothing from it,   a big fat zero,  but  when  they  become a  grandparent,  they  wish for  their  children to  bring the grandchildren up in the exact  same  dead rituals  which  they said  that they  got nothing  from  or practiced, go figure!. So money,  children,  how about  perspectives  about  end of  life and  eternity? If you  are  with  someone  who believes that  we only  get  one life, live it up, empty out the bucket  list and then the big dirt nap, well  good luck with  that  one! ☺️☺️Again,  the kingdom  minded  person  must  be  aware of  there being  more than just  this life and should feel  uncomfortable,  as in this is not our home.
• I  don’t  believe  that  we should  shun away  from  people who  are  different  from  us, after all we  are God’s ambassadors to this world,  and I  can  honestly tell you that  if I’m one of the  Frontline troops,  that we are in trouble ☺️☺️. This is God’s plan for  us  to share with  others and to make disciples and  He modeled that for us.  Jesus was all about  the  misfits, then  and now as well.  I’m not real  sure  how you get  bragging  rights  for hangout with  prostitutes and  leapers,  and  my all time  favorite,  the dreaded tax collector ” Matthew “. You really  have  to  put yourself  in  the  mindset  of  what a hated person  he was.  Matthew  was  a  Trump,  before  Trump was ever  thought about  being.  He was  polarizing and  people  just  hated  him and everything that he stood for. Somehow  Jesus  got street  cred for  hanging out with  him  and  other people that we  may consider  derelicts. Again it’s not about  a division of  people,  but  when  you  are  becoming  yoked with  someone  and you  go down the list of things that are important to You,  you need to be able to  check  more of the  boxes that say we agree , than ones with a  big question mark ❓️ .  I’m just going to  go a head and  apologize today  for being a little  less than positive and balanced, and  maybe  a little  heavy handed.  I  believe that  there  are  things that we sometimes  take  lightly,  that we  shouldn’t  so much.  We see people  in relationships with  different  levels  of  commitment and  understandings  as to what a commitment is,  and  without  being  on the same  page,  often  can  be a recipe for  disaster.
• Again a little  long, but I  want to  double  to Jesus’s  invite to be yoked with  Him . Hope in Christianity is  not just  wishful  thinking,  it’s not a name it and  claim it thing, it’s not even  about  rolling up your sleeves and just  trying  harder. In my bobblehead thinking,  it goes back to  the  very  last thing that  Christ said on the cross.  ” it is  finished “. Thank You God that there is no more striving,  no more laundry  list of  dos and  don’ts.  There is no condemnation for  not measuring up,  no more shame and regret.  No sense of not belonging or not being  loved and accepted.  Hope is in the  faithfulness of  God to do all that He said that He would  do, based on all that He has already  done. Yeah!, the  circumstances  may say something  completely different  from what you hoping for   or are thinking,  but one day God  is going to  set all things  right  again and in the way that  He originally  intended  for it  to  be.  Things will be whole  again and brokenness will  exist  no more. If you don’t  know  Him  then  you  may  want to  consider the easy yoke and be transformed.
• Till Next Time ✌️ Peace!
• Sandy The Southerner

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