Advance Confidently in the Direction of Your Dreams!
Yearning for the Yoke: Theosis, Self-Realization, and the Sacred Yes
Yearning for Your yoke Deep soul seeks light from your grace Spirit whispers Yes!
~Thomas Maples
The Anatomy of Yearning: Why We Crave More Than the World Can Offer
During the COVID-19 lockdown, I found myself wanting more than my vocation required. I felt as though I was carrying an invisible yoke, a weight on my shoulders. Driven to produce endlessly, I watched my most valuable resource—time—slip away in service to others. This created a spiritual struggle, leaving my spirit depleted. Reflecting on these burdens, I saw the yoke as a symbol for the invisible loads we all carry.
YouTube videos encouraged me to work harder and follow paths where others found success. Motivational speakers like Eric Thomas (The Hip-Hop Preacher) inspired me. Believing in my ability to pursue my dreams, I thought, if they can do it, so can I. Yet, this constant pressure felt like another yoke, one imposed by modern hustle culture. (“The Mental Health Impact of Hustle Culture” 2023)
But could I truly manage it all? Is it possible for anyone to bear the weight of being a good father, husband, full-time psychotherapist, part-time teacher, and committed volunteer? These roles, though meaningful, are demanding. This raises the question: do we all struggle with a universal yoke as we take on multiple responsibilities?
I kept wanting more, but to what purpose? This desire stemmed from my ego, not my true self or vocation. I had taken on too much, and the final burden became too heavy to bear. I needed to learn to let go and trust in God.
Yielding the Gift: Moving from Ego-Control to Divine Vocation
The ego is not master in its own house.
~Jung, 1966, p. 195
How many of the world’s problems arise from the desire for ego-control? Personally, I understand how tempting it is to believe the grass is greener elsewhere. What would it mean to let go and allow God to guide me toward divine wisdom, beyond the ego’s drive to strive? While this is a personal reflection, it holds collective significance. For many, embracing one’s yoke is essential to finding meaning beyond ego-driven pursuits. (“Heutagogy and spiritual growth: evidence from multi-year action research” 2026, 1-15)
At this level of introspection, we arrive at a crossroads. Folklore says the devil buys souls at such moments, while scripture shows that God, like with Job, tests our resolve here as well. (“The Smith and the Devil” n.d.) In these times of uncertainty, we should not persist in ego-driven control. As St. Ignatius of Loyola teaches, we should yield, allowing God to guide us in our divine vocation. At these crossroads, discerning which yoke we are willing to accept is central to our spiritual journey. (Institute 2026)
From Complexity to Purpose: The Ignatian Lens
Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord, and by this means to save his soul; and the other things on the face of the earth are created for man and that they may help him in prosecuting the end for which he is created.”
Loyola, 1992, p. 12
St. Ignatius does not call us to complexity. He reminds us that the “things of the earth”—our roles, titles, and daily tasks—are tools to help us achieve our true purpose: the salvation and sanctification of the soul. The ego may focus on worldly achievements, mistaking one aspect for the whole. The Ignatian approach encourages us to examine the yoke we choose and whether it serves our deepest calling. (“The Modern Making of ‘Ignatian Spirituality’” 2026)
The Soul as Daimon: The Yoke, Refinement, and Performance
The ego is not a fixed concept for holding our ideals; it is only one facet of a much larger diamond. (Helminiak 2021) As St. Teresa of Ávila envisioned,
I began to think of the soul as if it were a castle made of a single diamond or of very clear crystal, in which there are many rooms, just as in heaven there are many mansions.
~Teresa of Ávila 1961, p. 28
While the ego may guide us in the external world, the soul is the diamond itself, awaiting refinement by the Master Jeweler. When we release our need for control, we stop viewing our vocation as a burden and begin to see it as the imago Dei being shaped. Instead of polishing the surface, we allow the inner light to shine through. In this way, vocation becomes a path to grace rather than a yoke of drudgery. (O’Connell 2026)
The Blessed Fiat: Saying ‘Yes’ to the Yoke of Transformation
What does it mean to say “Yes” to the yoke of God’s calling? What does this surrender to the “Will” require as we pursue self-realization? To understand this, consider the profound moment when Blessed Mary said “Yes” to a calling beyond rational understanding.
Blessed Mary and the Yoke of the Sacred Yes
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
~Luke 1:38, NABRE
Fiat, Latin for “let it be done,” also signifies accepting one’s yoke and the journey ahead. This stands in contrast to the ego, which seeks to avoid responsibility for its choices. Yet the soul encourages the Self to guide the ego toward its true destination, even if that entails a subtle shift in perspective. (“Ignatian Spirituality as Inspiration for a Pedagogical Theory of Accompaniment” 2022)
The psyche tends to negotiate, appealing to the ego’s desire for control. This dynamic allows the ego to feel in charge while the soul advances toward its calling. Fiat represents the moment we choose receptivity over control, moving from anxious striving to peaceful acceptance. (“The Modern Making of ‘Ignatian Spirituality’” 2026)
When Mary accepted and said, “May it be done to me according to your word,” she aligned her entire being with a purpose beyond human understanding, thereby participating in a greater plan accessible only through faith. (“Mary’s Fiat (and the effects)” n.d.)
Conclusion: Embracing the Yoke for a Transformed Life
The journey from the world’s frantic “grind” to the stillness of the interior castle is not about taking on more tasks, but about gradual refinement. Small steps, taken consistently, lead to great progress. (SJ 2014)
This journey calls us to recognize, as Jung did, that the ego is not the master of our house, and to embrace, as St. Teresa did, that our soul is a diamond awaiting the Master Jeweler. Ultimately, the Master Jeweler is the image of Self that God invites us to realize.
When we finally say “Yes” and embrace the easy yoke and light burden, our vocation is no longer depleting. Instead, it becomes a channel for grace. We arrive where we are meant to be: at the center of the castle, in the presence of the King, fully human and, by His grace, becoming divine. By letting go of our need for control, we stop viewing life as a series of burdens and begin to see it as the imago Dei being refined. In this, we find not only self-realization but also sacred rest. (Heaton 2021)
Bibliography
Heaton, J. 2021. The Grace of Rest. New York: Spiritual Growth Press.
Helminiak, D. A. 2021. The Human Core: Spiritual Psychology and the Self. San Francisco: HarperCollins.
Institute, J. 2026. Discerning the Yoke: Crossroads of the Spirit. Chicago: Ignatian Press.
Jung, C. G. 1966. Two Essays on Analytical Psychology. Bollingen Series XX. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Loyola, I. 1992. The Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius: Based on Studies in the Language of the Autograph. Translated by L. J. Puhl. Chicago: Loyola Press.
“Mary’s Fiat (and the effects).” n.d. Catholic Theology Archive. Accessed April 22, 2026.
New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE). Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC. Accessed April 22, 2026. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1.
O’Connell, M. 2026. Vocation as Refinement: The Diamond Path. Boston: Grace Publications.
“The Mental Health Impact of Hustle Culture.” 2023. Psychology Today Trends.
“The Modern Making of ‘Ignatian Spirituality’.” 2026. Journal of Spiritual Formation.
“The Smith and the Devil.” n.d. Folklore and Mythological Studies.
Teresa of Ávila. 1961. The Interior Castle. Translated by E. Allison Peers. New York: Doubleday.
SJ, P. 2014. Small Steps of Grace: A Guide to Spiritual Development. Rome: Vatican Press.
“Heutagogy and spiritual growth: evidence from multi-year action research.” 2026. Journal of Educational Theology, 1-15.
“Ignatian Spirituality as Inspiration for a Pedagogical Theory of Accompaniment.” 2022. International Journal of Pedagogical Theology.
