As many of you know, this year is a fairly big transition for me.
I couldn’t have prayed for a better position or 6th-grade team. Truly. It has been amazing. But it has also been exhausting. Not “quite newborn baby” exhausting—but definitely exhausting. It has changed every single aspect of my life.
Recently, I was reflecting on Matthew 11:28-30 (ESV):
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but when I hear that
Jesus' yoke is light, I sometimes wonder—are we sure He was thinking about teachers? Because, let me tell you, the load we carry doesn’t always feel light! I could be tempted to think: if I am living out God’s will in my life as a wife, mother, and teacher—why am I so tired? Didn’t He say His yoke is easy and the burden is light?
As I pondered this, I’m reminded of a profound truth: while God invites us to rest in Him, that doesn’t mean our circumstances will always feel easy. Instead, He equips us for his call on our lives--
Here are the 4 lessons I have been reflecting on since August.
1. Hard is not the same thing as bad.
James 1:2-4 (ESV) says,
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
When I compare James’ teaching to the truth found in Matthew 11, I find myself living in the tension between trying to reconcile Jesus’ “easy yoke” with the idea of counting trials as joy. But here’s the truth I land on: hard is not the same thing as bad. God is more concerned with shaping our character than with our comfort. Jesus is not promising a comfortable life; He’s promising His presence and power in the midst of the challenges
There have been times over the last 8 weeks that have been hard. Dealing with parents. Managing difficult students. Getting all my work done in my contracted hours (that's a joke--if that’s you, I want to buy you coffee and you can tell me your secrets) Balancing motherhood and being a wife. Yet, in all of those difficult times, I can now look back and see how God is sanctifying me through all of it When I pause and reflect on the wrath and judgment I truly deserve compared to the loving mercy and sanctification He offers instead—I begin to see where His yoke is indeed easy, and His burden is light. His grace far outweighs the trials, and in that, we find rest.
2. God multiplies our efforts.
I often feel like the disciples when they saw the five loaves and two fish, knowing it wasn’t enough. We know the story of the loaves and fishes from John 6:1-14 (ESV), where Jesus fed the 5,000 with what seemed like an inadequate offering. So often, I look down at my own “empty basket”—I don’t have nearly enough time or energy to get through everything I think I need to do. But when we offer what little we have to God, He delights in multiplying our efforts. He can take our meager offerings and turn them into something miraculous.
3. We teach children, not curriculum.
When I first got my curriculum, the first thing I did was count the number of lessons and then the number of school days—and realized there was no way to fit it all in! With only 47 minutes per class, I started prioritizing getting through the material instead of focusing on what really mattered.
That’s when Sarah McKenzie’s quote struck me:
“The true aim of education is to order a child’s affections—to teach him to love what he ought and hate what he ought. Our greatest task, then, is to put living ideas in front of our children like a feast. We have been charged to cultivate the souls of our children, to nourish them in truth, goodness, and beauty, to raise them up in wisdom and eloquence.”
If our goal is just to get through the material, we’re missing the heart of teaching. What we need to be doing is setting the table—offering our students the feast of truth, goodness, and beauty. But if we’re hurried and overwhelmed, that feast won’t be as rich. We teach children, not curriculum.
Last thing on this point: “Corrie ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy. There’s truth in that. Both sin and busyness have the exact same effect—they cut off your connection to God, to other people, and even to your own soul.” (The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry)
4. Whose “well done” are we working for?
Finally, there’s the question of whose approval we’re seeking. Colossians 3:23-24 (ESV) says,
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
When I feel most burdened, I realize it’s often because I’m working for the approval of others—whether that’s parents, colleagues, or even my own expectations. But ultimately, we serve an audience of One. Our true "well done" comes from God, not from people.
Closing Thoughts:
Let’s remember:
Hard is not the same as bad—God uses difficulties to refine us.
God multiplies our efforts when we offer what little we have to Him.
We teach children, not curriculum—let’s focus on nurturing their souls, not just their minds.
Whose well done are we working for?—Let’s fix our eyes on Jesus, knowing that His “well done” is the one that matters most.
In all that we do, may we rest in the truth that Jesus’ yoke is easy, and His burden is light.
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