Before you read further, I want to explain what a yoke is. A yoke is a wooden beam placed across the necks of two oxen to bind them together so they can pull a load, combining their strength. In the Bible, a yoke represents anything that directs or weighs on your life. It’s what you’re tied to and influenced by. It could be expectations, habits, fear, past experiences, or even the constant pull of distraction and busyness. In that sense, a yoke is whatever you find yourself continually carrying or following, whether it’s life-giving or heavy.

“What have you yoked yourself to?” A guest pastor asked this at church, and I haven’t been able to shake it. But if I’m honest, the question had already been stirring in me.

A few weeks earlier, I was listening to an audiobook called Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend. As I listened, my phone lit up with a notification. I picked it up, replied… and, instead of putting it back down, I opened an app and started scrolling. All while the audiobook discussed the habits that begin to control us. I remember pausing, phone in hand. I became aware of what I was doing… and yet still felt the urge to keep going.

From that moment on, I started noticing it more. How often I reached for my phone without thinking. How I would put it down, only to pick it back up moments later. So, when the pastor asked, “What are you yoked to?” My mind went straight to that moment. Because the truth is, I’m not just yoked to my phone. I realised I’ve been yoked to distraction.

When I feel fatigued, in pain, or even just bored, I reach for something. It can be my phone, food, or TV. Not because I need it, but because I don’t want to sit in what I’m feeling. And it’s costing me more than I realised. It’s costing me connection with God, time with my family, peace, creativity, and real joy. I’d been telling myself these things were helping me rest, but what were they actually giving me? My body might have been still, but my mind and soul were not.

The scripture the pastor shared was Matthew 11:28–30: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest… For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

And something shifted. I realised I’ve been carrying things I was never meant to carry. Another verse that keeps coming to mind is Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God.” But if I’m honest, stillness feels uncomfortable. Because when I don’t reach for my phone, or turn on background noise, or distract myself with food, it’s just me, my thoughts, and God.

And sometimes, that’s the very thing I’ve been avoiding. But I’m starting to see that the deep, restorative rest I’ve been craving isn’t found in distraction. It’s found in the stillness I’ve been avoiding. In choosing to turn toward God instead of away.

This isn’t about guilt or trying to be the “perfect” Christian. It’s not about throwing everything away or getting it right all the time. It’s about awareness and becoming aware of what I reach for when what I really need is His rest. And for me, that awareness has stretched even further.

Living with Functional Neurological Disorder, I’ve also had to ask myself, ‘Have I unknowingly yoked myself to my diagnosis?’ Not in a way that ignores medical science or what my body needs, but in the ways I’ve allowed fear to define what I can and can’t do.

Fatigue and pain? They ask me to rest. But fear and anxiety? If I let them lead, they keep me small and unmoving, never growing or healing.

There was a time I didn’t think I could walk through a grocery store on my own. Social situations felt overwhelming. Leaving the safety of home felt impossible. But slowly, gently, I began to push against that. Not forcefully. Just one small step at a time. And in doing that, I’ve started to rebuild trust in my body, and in myself. I’m learning that I can honour where I am without being defined by it. That I don’t have to be yoked to fear.

So now, when I feel that pull to escape, when I reach for my phone, or food, or distraction, I’m trying to pause and ask: What am I actually needing right now? Sometimes the answer is simple.

If I’m tired, maybe I need a walk outside in the sunshine or maybe an afternoon nap. If I’m overwhelmed, maybe I need quiet or time with God.
If I’m seeking comfort, maybe it’s not a distraction I need but presence and being in the moment with prayer, reading my Bible, or being creative in some way. I’m still learning, and I’m still catching myself. But each time I ask myself, ‘What do I want to be yoked to?’

I invite you to take a moment to ask yourself the same question, “What am I yoked to?”

Heavenly Father,
Help us to notice what we’ve been yoked to and gently turn our hearts back to You. Teach us to seek true rest in Your presence rather than distraction and give us the wisdom to release what weighs us down. Lead us in Your peace, one small step at a time.

In your mighty name, Amen.

Take care of yourself,
Linda Higgins x