I have long wondered about a seeming contradiction that has been presented in lessons at church. The scripture says "Take my yoke upon you for my yoke is easy and my burden is light." Then in the same lesson we talk about how a yoke works. The oxen are supposed to be evenly matched so they can pull together. If you have a mismatched pair, they won't be very successful.
To me these two ideas present a huge contradiction, but nobody has ever mentioned the contradiction in class and I had never been able to resolve it in my mind. Christ's yoke is supposed to make my burden lighter, however, oxen who are yoked together should be evenly matched. I am very far from being evenly matched with my Savior. He is the strongest ox ever born, and I am barely stronger than a goat. How in the world can we pull together as an evenly matched pair?
Today in conference, someone told about a competition among oxen. There was a strong looking pair that was unable to pull the weight very far. The team that won wasn't a very impressive looking pair. They were kind of scrawny and were different sizes. He couldn't understand how they could win. He was told that they won because they worked perfectly together.
This explains the seeming contradiction perfectly. The Savior's yoke is easy because he works with me. He pulls just the right amount so that if I give it my best, we can work together. This analogy explains so much about the gospel to me. We often talk about the Lord's timing and how he answers prayers, but not always in he way we want or expect. If Christ is to work in perfect harmony with me, he can't let me go faster than I am able, or let me move in the wrong direction. If we are to work together as a perfectly matched pair, then I need to follow the guidance and direction of the wiser and more experienced team member. In this, the benefits to me will be twofold. One, I will always go in the right direction and take the course of action that will bring me the best end result. Two, I will be able to accomplish twice as much as I could do on my own because Jesus is pulling along at he exact same speed as I am going. What a glorious promise!
