Let me tell you a story.
This one’s a step back. Back to sophomore year of high school. Back to Mr. Richards’ mechanical drawing class. Back to a rather interesting extra credit question.
Sophomore year was a long time ago, people.
Following our test, Mr. Richards had a wry smile on his face and asked us what was wrong with this picture he’d found in the local paper. It was surprising because I didn’t know people read that section of the paper and we never got extra credit.
I looked and looked and looked. I hadn’t the foggiest. All I saw was a picture of some sort of craftsman standing at a table. He was working with his hands, and nothing obvious seemed out of place. By this point I had completely forgotten about the test. Defeated, I submitted an answer. Some of the guys in the class seemed to have gotten it, but not me. When everyone had finished, we were all eager to know the answer.
Turns out the man in the picture was wearing his blue jeans backwards. No joke. I can’t quite remember the reason why and it was a quality find BUT
The pants (while interesting) are not the point, the situation is.
This thought recently hit me like a sack of potatoes:
How many problems do we have—that are consuming our lives—when in perspective they are just ‘extra credit’?
Maybe it’s that one messy relationship, a botched job at work, an area of weakness, or a lingering mistake?
This is the way that sin works. It’s the thorn, and it tries to demand our whole hearted attention. It is the blister of consuming loneliness that drives us to condemnation, at times seeking selfish solutions and immediate gratification. Sin says we’re still bound to death, and the worst part is when we choose to believe it.
How do we put our problems into perspective?
How can we turn the tables when we just can’t seem to get the ‘extra credit’?
Give thanks.
The truth is we have MUCH to be thankful for. When we give thanks we start to remember just how blessed we are. Suddenly, we’re not focusing on our problems. If you’d be so DARING, would you stop with me, right at the end of this paragraph, and give thanks? You can give as much or as little as you like. Give thanks in spite of the storms. Give thanks regardless of whether you know life’s ‘extra credit’ answers. Go!
Give thanks.
Change your attitude to gratitude. Let someone know, you’re thankful for them. Let somebody else know how it feels to be thankful!
One closing thought on this point:
Jesus sets us free from the law of sin and death—the chains of temptation, addiction, mistakes, failures and the lot (Romans 8:1-3). Giving thanks for what He has done for us is primary and it puts everything back into perspective—what Jesus did isn’t a matter of extra credit but of Easter.
So however you wear your pants, thanks for reading 🙂
From my family to yours, have a Happy Easter.
