Coarse Wood

Matthew 11:28-30

I've never carried a yoke over my shoulders before. It's a sensation that is probably foreign to many of us, nor do I imagine that any of us foresee such an experience in the future. Nonetheless, we carry a yoke all our lives. We even get a choice: the world's yoke or God's.

The image I have of the world's yoke is something reminiscent of Sisyphus. The load over our shoulders drags a boulder behind. The trail to march is steep, and the going is slow. As the boulder is dragged along it picks up debris, adding to it's mass with every step. At the top of this path is a peak that suddenly drops. There is no plateau to rest on, only a slope over which the boulder will tumble back down.

The image I have of God's yoke is something reminiscent of Calvary. The load over our shoulder is a heavy cross of course wood. The trail to march is steep, and the going is slow. As the cross is dragged along, it's dropped every now and then, forcing the bearer to raise it up once more on their shoulder. At the top of this path is a plateau where we may find rest. Millions of crosses dot the horizon from this view, and instead of millions of different people hung from them, there is only one person, lifted up a million times over for each cross carried up that hill.

It gives me shivers, and it gives me a thought:

Coarse wood is the most beautiful sensation in all the world.

As I sit and contemplate the shear measure of love and forgiveness in the crucifixion, I am in awe of the beauty in every element of it all, including the cross, the yoke we are called to bear. I pray that every time I put my hand on coarse wood I would be marveled at the touch; a reminder of a love that has no equal.

Coarse wood is the most beautiful sensation in all the world.

In Christ,

Daniel