For my yoke is easy and my burden light. Matthew 11:30
There are times when we take the long way home to avoid inching along through a rush hour traffic jam only to find that our alternate route has an even worse snarl. If we had stayed on the main route, the ride home would have been easier.
Jesus says the burden he asks his followers to carry is light and the task easy. But we do not see it that way. Jesus calls us to change our lives, but we would rather avoid change. Old habits may be cumbersome, inefficient and unrewarding, but they are comfortable.
We would rather take our way, the long way, than face the challenges Jesus places before us. But, like the reflection in a fun house mirror, our view is often deceiving. The path we want to choose is not as smooth as we perceive, and the challenges of Jesus’ way are not really as big or as tough as we think they are. Actually, the most difficult step to take in following Jesus is the first step. After that, it gets easier.
In all things, big and small, we sometimes face two choices: God’s way and our way. Let us pray for the wisdom to know the difference.
Charlotte Rancilio
July 19, 1990
