By
Lance Cordle
I occasionally get headaches, and when I
do, I sometimes take a pain reliever to combat them. The brand I use has a
multipack carton containing the medicine wrapped in a sealed, foil package.
Over the years, I have “waged a war” with the packaging, because it has been
extremely difficult (for me) to tear open. If I am where scissors are
available, I will use the scissors.
It just so happens that I was recently in
need of headache relief and I dreaded going through the frustrating process of
opening the foil with no scissors. However, for some reason, the fine print on
the package caught my attention. There was a straight line across the top and
the words indicated that I was to fold the foil straight along the line and
then rip the package from top to bottom. Amazingly, as I followed the
instructions, I was able to easily open the package. Sensing that my success
might have been a fluke, I waited till I got another headache to test the
process. Sure enough, I obeyed the instructions again, following them to a “T,”
and it worked!
Who knew that opening the foil package
could be so easy?! I just followed the simple instructions.
This reminded me of the biblical story of
Naaman the leper (found in 2 Kings 5). Naaman was a valiant warrior for his
king, however, he carried the dreaded disease of leprosy. Following a
recommendation from a young Israelite woman, he sought a cure from the prophet
of God, Elisha. After consulting his king, as well as Israel’s king, Naaman
came to Elisha’s residence. Instead of going to him and touching him, Elisha
sent a messenger with instructions for Naaman to “wash in the Jordan seven
times” (2 Kings 5:10). Instead of obeying the words of the prophet, Naaman
expressed his displeasure with Elisha. That displeasure came about because he
did not like the part about the washing in the Jordan River—located in enemy
territory and possibly seen to be “dirty” by Naaman. He voiced his
disappointment in front of his servants, who promptly gave him words of wisdom:
“My father, it is a great word the prophet has said to you; will you not do it?
. . . So he went and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan River . . . and
his skin was restored like the flesh of a child” (2 Kings 5:13-14).
The
instructions may be simple, but sometimes, through our stubbornness, we make
things difficult. Jesus asked, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do what
I tell you?” (Luke 6:46). That is a good question!
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