You might say real treasures are found in the ordinary.Daily Readings In today's reading from the Book of Kings there is for us an event that could easily be found in so many lives. Naaman, the king, was plagued with leprosy. His master, the king of Aram, sent a letter to the king of Israel along with offerings, asking that the king cure him. The king of Israel didn't take to the request too lightly because he felt the king of Aram was looking for a quarrel (if the king could not effect the cure).
Elisha, the prophet, heard of the event and sent word to the Israeli king, offering to see Naaman. So, Naaman went to Elisha's home but was not brought into the house. Rather he was given instructions to go to the Jordan River and wash seven times. This response angered Naaman. He expected that the prophet would come out of the house and "do his thing." Naaman felt insulted that he was not given special treatment. He turned away in anger. A short time later one of his aides reasoned with him directly to the point: "... if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not hvae done it?" Naaman had found it very difficult to be humble.
How challenging is it for us, you and me, to accept and work with the quieter ways of God? If we are working to remove something from our lives, a sinful practice or an bad habit, are we expecting the extraordinary to accomplish the victory? To continue on the ordinary day-to-day pathway of life is most challenging. It will be in the continuing of what we do day after day WITHOUT the bad habit or sinful practice that is the victory. There will not be any great announcements: Mr. X is healed of sin! Mrs. Y has overcome a bad habit!
The real victory will be when we quietly have overcome what has been keeping us distant from God. The real challenge for us is finding God in the simple things of life.
