This is how these flowers looked shortly after I planted them. I was hoping that by the 4th of July it would be flourishing red, white, and blue. The white, however, has taken over almost completely. Clicking on the picture enlarges it and I notice a spider on one of the white blossoms.
I continue to reflect on the freedom given to us by the risen Jesus. In Matthew 11:29-30, instead of the burdensome "yoke" of the Jewish religious Law, Jesus offers a "yoke" that is easy and a burden that is light.
He says, "Learn from me for I am gentle...." Gentle means putting people first. The highway signs that welcomed people to Maryland used to say, "Please drive gently." That meant "Look out for the other person." A gentleman is considerate of people. In many passages in the Gospels Jesus put people first. He had no use for a legalistic approach to religious Law. The Law, he said, was made for the people, not the people for the law.
So in asking me to learn from him how to be gentle, I find him asking me to learn his approach to the religious Law, his way of always putting people first, his sense of what is right and what is wrong. The more I become aware of Jesus living in me and the more completely I surrender my heart and conscience to him, the more he can share with me his goodness and freedom.
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