Throw In The Towel

Dictionary.com says to throw in the towel is a boxing term. It refers to a fighter indicating surrender by throwing a towel into the ring. It means to indicate defeat. We all have days, weeks or months that make us feel like throwing in the towel. We are so tired of trying to keep everything going. Have you ever seen a video of someone spinning plates? They are watching all the plates and carefully adjusting to keep them all going. The minute one of the plates gets off the whole thing comes down. We feel like that is us.

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 KJV

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In those times verses like this seem to taunt me. This doesn’t feel light or easy. I am struggling to pull the load. I pray and ask God what I am missing. I know His word is true, but things are not matching up. 

​I decided to go back to the original Greek. The word yoke comes from the word zygós. It means a coupling, the beam of balance. I looked up pictures of a balanced yoke. All of the pictures were of yokes meant for two animals. I always pictured a single pull, but thinking back to other verses in the Bible we see a precedence for two pull yoke. Deuteronomy 22:10 talks of not putting an ox and a donkey together for plowing and 2 Corinthians 6:14 talks of not being yoked with unbelievers. 

We feel like we are yoked alone to pull the load God has placed on us, with God in the driver's seat pushing us. That perception couldn’t be further from the truth. God isn’t in the driver’s seat but wants to pull along with us. If we are balanced, the yoke is easy because God pulls with us. It is light because He is carrying the weight. It is easy because He is doing the pulling.

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. - 1 Peter 5:7 KJV

In my mind this verse always seems to follow Matthew 11:28-30. Care seems to be such a general term. I thought I gave God everything? What cares am I supposed to be giving Him? It is translated from the word merimnah in Greek. It means through the idea of distractions; to be drawn in a different direction. I am supposed to cast on Him all the distraction; all the things the pull me in different directions.

This is the last time this word care is used in the New Testament. Most of the times it was used it refers to the "cares of this life." (Matthew 13:22, Mark 4:19, Luke 8:14, Luke 21:34). In 2 Corinthians 11:2 it was referred to the "care of the churches." But in the end the Bible says we are supposed to cast all those cares on Him.

Many of us cast our cares on Him like we cast a fishing rod or net. We toss them but there is a line for us to pull and bring them back. We say, “Jesus. Here are my distractions to hold on to till I can carry them again.” That word cast means to throw upon. It is only used one other time in scripture.

​And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. Luke 19:35

They took off their garments or coats, put them on the colt and Jesus rode away with them. What would happen if we cast our cares like they cast their coats? What if we let Jesus ride away with our distractions?

Not only does He help pull the load but He can take away our distractions. Our challenge is we have to be willing to surrender our cares to Him. We have to actually let go and let Jesus take them away. What if instead of throwing in the towel, we throw it to Jesus? Instead of giving up, we give it to Jesus. Are you ready to throw in the towel?

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