March 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering – Matthew 11 – His Yoke Is Easy
The March 2023 Come, Follow Me Ministering Printable ties together Sister J. Anette Dennis’s October 2022 General Conference talk, “His Yoke Is Easy and His Burden Is Light” and this March’s “Come, Follow Me” lesson on “I Will Give You Rest” in Matthew 11.
Download March 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering Printable (4×6)
You can print these printables as 4×6 photo prints. My local drug store prints them for just pennies. They are also a higher resolution if you want to enlarge them.
March 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering Message
Matthew 11 – His Yoke Is Easy
When I was little, I was so jealous when my parents went to a church fireside. I wished all church meetings were outside around a fire! I figured there had to be s’mores. It took me way too long to figure out that a fireside was just a church meeting at night. So disappointing.
First impressions can trip us up on a lot of things. Especially when we assume our first impression is right and fail to ask questions. Sometimes it is over something harmless, like firesides. But sometimes a first impression can get in the way of understanding an important gospel principle.
For me, a first impression kept me from fully understanding what Christ was offering when He asks us to take His yoke upon us.
Take My Yoke Upon You
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
– Matthew 11:28-30
While reading these scriptures, I often thought to myself, “If my load is already heavy, why would Christ ask me to put on His yoke too? I am already carrying too much, why ask me to carry more?” I knew that miracles happen when we do the Lord’s work, but at the same time an invitation to carry more when I was already struggling felt like a hard sell.
It wasn’t until my good friend Steve Strickland gave a Sacrament talk about the Lord’s yoke that it all finally clicked. When the Lord asks us to put on His yoke, He isn’t asking one person (me) to carry two loads. Instead, He is asking me to allow Him to help carry my load. His yoke isn’t an additional burden, it is His tool that allows Him to pull my load with me.
Christ’s Double Yoke
Christ’s yoke is not a single yoke, it is a double yoke. A double yoke binds two animals together and distributes the weight so that a heavy load can be carried more easily. The goal is to make the yoke as comfortable as possible so that the animals can do more without getting hurt or fatigued. Special care is also taken if one ox is stronger than the other. A September 2013 Ensign article points out, “Custom fitting each side allows oxen of unequal size or strength to pull together without one being dragged by the other.”
The Lord wasn’t handing me more to carry, instead, He was asking me to allow Him to shoulder my burden. When we are yoked with the Savior, he is binding us together. He will help me pull my burdens as we walk side by side. Christ is the stronger ox. His yoke is easy and light because when we pull with Christ, we pull with the Almighty Lord.
Christ’s Knows My Burdens
Another interesting facet of the yoke is that it must be fitted specifically to the oxen using it so that it does not cause any injuries. When pulling, the yoke should fit between the neck and shoulder. If it is too big, it will hit on the point of the shoulder, which can cause pain. If it hits the more tender parts of the neck, the yoke can hurt or maim the ox.
When we take upon ourselves the Lord’s yoke, it is fit perfectly to us. Christ intimately understands our needs, weaknesses, and strengths. Through the Atonement, He has already carried my burden and understands it firsthand.
President Russell M. Nelson once shared, “You come unto Christ to be yoked with Him and with His power, so that you’re not pulling life’s load alone. You’re pulling life’s load yoked with the Savior and Redeemer of the world, and suddenly your problems, no matter how serious they are, become lighter.”
Elder David Bednar also taught, “He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do relying only upon our own power. Indeed, His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”
Lay Down The Heavy Burden of Judgement
Also, when we take up the Lord’s yoke, it allows us to put down burdens we don’t need to carry. In the recent October 2022 General Conference, Sister J. Anette Dennis said, “We are commanded to love others, not to judge them. Let’s lay down that heavy burden; it isn’t ours to carry. Instead, we can pick up the Savior’s yoke of love and compassion.”
Sister Dennis is right. When I worry about the actions of others or get wrapped up in judging them, life feels heavy and bleak. But when I seek to see it through the Lord’s eyes, I am filled with His light and love.
It is interesting to note that in Matthew 11, Christ talks about His yoke right after lamenting the wickedness of nearby towns. As a missionary, I keenly remember that feeling of discouragement when people rejected the gospel. Christ’s disciples were likely feeling something similar. Rather than let them get stuck there, He reminds them that they don’t need to feel heavy-laden. They can choose to take upon them the Lord’s yoke.
Sister Dennis points out how the Savior always responds with love and seeks to heal our hearts. He is “meek and lowly in heart.” When we follow Christ, we will seek to do the same. She says, “His love will flow through us and make all that He asks not only possible but eventually much easier and lighter and more joyful than we could ever imagine.”
At the end of her talk she reminds us, “As we follow His example, we can be yoked with Him and help foster a feeling of love and belonging in the hearts of all our Father’s children.”
March 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering Handout
While reading up about yokes, I learned that oxen are actually just well-trained cows. They start when they are young and are called working steers. Once they have finished 4 years of training, they earn the title of ox. So I decided it would be fun to do Cow Tales candy with the printable! You can either place them in a cellophane bag or one of these nifty clear boxes.
Did you like this March 2023 Come Follow Me Ministering message? Find more Relief Society Ministering Printables for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
These ministering printables are a great way to help families incorporate the “Come, Follow Me” lessons into their own study. They are also perfect for Young Women’s, Relief Society, Sunday School, or Family Home Evening. I hope that these ministering printables will be a simple way to reach out to those we minister to.
