No, no, no… say it isn’t so! The Department of Transportation has landed and infiltrated my favorite lake road that I enjoy taking back and forth from home. They have parked their big heavy trucks with blinking lights off to the side of the road and a swarm of people in orange vests armed with stop signs have strategically placed huge orange cones along my path home. It seems as far as my eyes can search the horizon all I see is a vision of barriers along the way.

Oh my, isn’t that just like the journey of life each of us is on? Here we are going along the road to “becoming” more like Christ and desiring to have more intimacy in our relationship with Him, and yet we all face barriers on the path!

“Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me,
for I am gentle and lowly in heart,
and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
Matthew 11:29-30

What Jesus states here is for us to elevate, carry, or raise Him to a place for Him to reign in our life and be joined to Him. The Jews of that day were carrying the heavy burden of manmade laws that they placed on themselves that were not from God. Their yoke was a heavy and crushing one. A yoke can refer to that leather piece one puts on cattle in order to plow the field and to keep them equally going the same direction and speed. A yoke can also refer to the balance beam that connects a pair of scales. When we are yoked with Christ, we will have better understanding as we increase our knowledge by practicing His ways. We will be able to let go of trying to “do” everything in our flesh and rest in Him to guide us, work in us, and give us the grace to continue the process. But again… the reminder is that we fix our eyes on Jesus! “Fix” means to become acquainted by experience.

The first barrier we are faced with is the yoke of self. Christ said to take upon His yoke, not our own. Certainly there are always “other orange cones out there” to dodge, like the yokes of fear, worry, and doubt. We must not ignore the nasty barriers of unforgiveness, resentment, and pride. It’s good to know that we can also drop the heavy burdens of guilt, anger, and hopelessness. Do not turn a blind eye to what seems to be smaller barriers of importance, such as gossip, unbalanced priorities, and all kinds of lustful temptations. We don’t have to be afraid of those barriers as we are reminded that Jesus was tempted and did not sin. We are empowered by His very Spirit. He has paved the road and gone ahead of us, and we must only follow His example.

Just like the trucks that were off to the side of the road with their blinking lights to warn the drivers what was ahead, we have the Holy Spirit to warn us of the things that are blocking our walk with Christ. We must be aware of those interferences and shake them off. I like to picture a dog coming into the home after being in the rain, and how it shakes all the water droplets off. We too can shake off all interferences that block our intimacy with God.

Does that sound a bit too simple? But it can be that simple! Correction from the Lord and confession of sin brings about peace in our soul as we are set right again with God. Our hearts rest in the bottomless ocean of His forgiveness. We walk out into the victory Christ has won for those who call Him Lord. He will keep us steadfast. Then we will be asked to reach out a hand and help another along their path to victory.

May it be our desire that we be women who live in the present and are aware of the world around us. May we take notice of the blessings God gifts to each of us, and always long to hear His whispers. Shall we also pray with a more purposeful focus on God’s will? And as we stay connected in our relationship with Christ, we will become more thankful followers. Let us commit to doing this together! Close your eyes…Open your heart, let God’s Spirit empower you today.