Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. (Matthew 11:29, NIV)
He is gentle and humble. I must let him teach me how to be gentle and humble also in order to experience his peace and rest within my soul in the midst of the challenges and disturbances of life.
The Greek word that is translated “gentle” or “meek” (praus) implies strength under control. Think of a wild horse being “gentled” by learning to trust the human who is training it. The horse most certainly has the physical strength to resist or even kill its handler. But if it is “gentled” – not “broken” by being frightened into submission – it can relax and respond well to being led. It will even allow the trainer to ride on its back and direct it where to go.
This kind of gentleness is what Jesus reveals to us by how he lives. He demonstrates in every moment of his life his total assurance that the Father is entirely trustworthy no matter what happens. Certainly, he who calmed the storm, healed the blind and raised the dead had amazing power, yet at every moment, Jesus’s power was entirely yielded in obedience to the Father’s will (see Matthew 26:53 for one example).
Jesus invites his followers to learn from him how to live trustfully in the care of the One whom he himself trusts, even to Calvary. Being yoked to Jesus, being concerned only about abiding in Jesus, allows him to teach me this moment by moment trust that forms me in how to be gentle with myself and others.
Humility is knowing myself as I truly am, a creature. The root word for humility is related to “humus”, the stuff of the earth. We were created from the dust of the earth, breathed into life by the Spirit of God. If I am humble, I’m always aware that I am not a self-creator.
Being humble is acknowledging my many failures, my limitations and individual quirks but without being excessively discouraged by these, without fearing that these render me entirely unacceptable. Godly humility acknowledges my deep desire for love, and receives the love offered to me with gratitude.
True humility understands my need for forgiveness, for strength and hope beyond my own puny self. Jesus describes himself as “humble in heart”. In his sacred humanity, he depends totally on the life that the Father crafts for him in every moment, every situation. He surrenders trustfully and so must I if I am to live in peace with the world, with those around me, and within myself.
If I’m truly humble, I also know my talents and strengths and what is possible to achieve in diligently cultivating these talents and strengths. Whatever aptitude is present in my life is a pure gift, and I am eager to acknowledge that fact. Even the desire and ability to develop my gifts are themselves gifts from the One who made me and sustains each breath and heartbeat.
False humility denies these gifts, burying them like the servant in Jesus’s parable about the talents. Out of an unreasonable fear of failure or failure to measure up, false humility avoids using the very gifts God generously gives.
Rest comes in knowing that while I am flawed, I am yet greatly loved, and so I can let myself be led and directed by the One who loves me. Rather than falsely believe that everything depends on me and my efforts, I can learn to yield trustfully to him. I can then find the rest that I yearn for: not resisting and wrestling with reality, but rather humbly and hopefully accepting what is, moving forward with the eyes of my heart fixed on the One to whom I am yoked.
The perfect love of my Savior-Shepherd longs to crowd out my fears of being forgotten, rejected, abandoned, or betrayed. If I remain yoked to him, I can learn to move with rather than against the current of my circumstances, and rest peacefully in the midst of life’s storms.
Lessons From Love School 