“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30
Bill had heart surgery and was going to be laid up for a while. Going through the Dollar Tree, I spied a Sudoku book and thought…why not? I mean… it’s a time killer, aids in concentration, is in large print and only costs…well you know. I hand delivered it to him, and a few days later it was handed back. I should have thrown it in the trash.
I didn’t…so it’s in my bathroom where, working on my concentration seems to have become a priority. One rule I learned about Sudoku is that it should be done with a pencil and eraser. But all I had was a pen. Not a good start. THIS particular book seems more advanced than most because easy… ain’t! But it DID get me a $100 belly laugh when I opened it and saw this!
Katie found my book while taking a bath. I wasn’t there when it happened, but the evidence told the entire story! Having messed up a couple of so called ‘easy’ ones already, she simply turned the page to start a new puzzle…and stopped…just that fast! She heard me laughing in the other room and put 2+2 together. “You found my nine!” she exclaimed! Smart girl!
I wasn’t laughing AT her. After all, she is a wise woman who rests somewhere at the pinnacle of God’s intended for women. I was laughing at the irony of how easy it is to make ‘easy’ so hard! After all, the evidence of MY failure lay just 5 pages before hers! And as I thought about it, I have to admit…I have NO idea WHY that ‘9’ was so funny!
Anyone who is a ‘born again’ believer in Jesus Christ knows that being one is NOT easy! In fact, my relationship and love for Jesus Christ is SO tight, I could laugh in His face at this Bible verse and say, “WHAT on EARTH were You THINKING?” and get away with it! But I also know Him well enough to KNOW… HE wouldn’t get the joke! Because HE… was serious!
Why do I make following Jesus Christ so HARD when HE makes it clear that it isn’t supposed to be? Why do I walk around most of the time feeling like a LOSER instead of victorious? If light and easy are HIS way…why isn’t it? I think it may have to do with my own expectations.
Katie told me that when she picked up the book and looked, her immediate thought was, “OH…this will be easy..” She wrote her answer based on her expectation. And was wrong! When we feel foolish, it’s humanly easier to just walk away than to correct or start over. Impressions are just that powerful…unless you’re Jesus. I just read, “The cross is proof that Jesus doesn’t ultimately expect my perfection.” if so, then start over’s are just plain normal. And THAT, my friends, makes me smile!
