Do you ever feel like everything is piling up on you? You messed up at school on a big assignment, your best friend got mad at you (or you don’t even have a best friend), and when you got home your family acted like you weren’t even there… Life can be tough sometimes. I hope you have a family that loves you and helps you to believe in yourself. But even if you don’t, you have a heavenly Father who loves and cares for you. Jesus loves you in the very same way. He even died for you on a cross to prove it. And he rose up from the grave to prove that he was God’s son.

Once Jesus was talking to a large crowd of people when he said: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”  (Matthew 11:28-30  NIV)

Jesus was telling those people to bring their problems to him and let him help them solve them.

Jesus uses the word “yoke” when he talked to the people. In Bible days two oxen were used together to pull heavy carts and wagons. The yoke made it easier for the animals to share the load as they pulled the wagon. Jesus is willing to share our hard times and help to make it easier for us.

Jesus promises to go through hard times with us like a best friend. If we learn to live the way he teaches us to live, he will help us to feel good about ourselves and will help us to enjoy life.

Copyright © 2010 by Janice D. Green

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.