Are you trying to be somebody you are not? Got your ladder against the wall and climbing the rungs of success? Well, Jesus didn’t worry about all of that. He was content to just be Himself.
Jesus is an amazing Person! When He came into our world, He did not come as an aspiring world leader. He came as a common man – born of common parents. He dressed simply, ate simply, and lived simply. He deliberately chose not to play the games of status and position, and He recommended that we don’t do that, either.
In Matthew 11:29 Jesus said, “Come unto me all you that labor 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 you shall find rest unto your souls.”
Notice that Jesus was lowly in heart. Now that does not mean that He was depressed or downhearted.
The word “lowly” is a Greek word (tapeinos) that refers to a low position in life. It is to be a servant. It is to be undistinguished in a crowd. It is a person who blends in, who appears common. And that is how Jesus chose to live. His was a peaceful life and restful one because He wasn’t in competition with anybody. He wasn’t in the rat race – and He wasn’t climbing anybody’s ladder.
So when Jesus says to us, “Take my yoke upon you and learn of me,” He is saying, “When you hook up with me, I will teach you how to live a lowly kind of life, and you will discover how restful that can be.”
It’s not that you don’t work hard and do you best. But you simply step back from the frenzy of trying to be somebody in a dog-eat-dog world. You can relax and just be yourself, as God meant you to be. You learn contentment and say, “Lord Jesus, I simply want to please you with my life. I choose to be lowly in heart with you!”
Now you know the real meaning of the word.
You know – choosing to be lowly in heart like Christ is the way to find rest for your soul…