Puzzle Success
My husband has been teaching me how to do that numbered box
game known as Sudoku. When he has
finishes his crossword puzzle from the Sunday newspaper, I often find him hovering
over the numbers’ puzzle. He does it very well, so I figured I would humble
myself and ask him to teach me.
What a learning experience this has been!
In my first several attempts I became quite frustrated. This is a game that lets you think you are
doing well, until, well, you aren't.
Then you have to erase everything and start over, or, as we are prone to
do, just put a big X over the unfinished puzzle and start a different one.
My husband told me the other day that it is not uncommon to
get to the very last number and discover you’ve made a mistake!
The puzzles are rated with stars, with the number one being
the easiest. So finally, after a few weeks of
attempting to do it, I finished the easiest one!
Yay for me, right?
The thing about these puzzles is that they require some
abstract thinking. I’m pretty good with abstract thinking, being a
contemplative and all. But this is
different. You get to a certain point
and you have to go through a process of elimination, which sometimes requires
you to hold a few different possible number combinations in your head. That’s where I usually get into trouble.
But my husband has been a good teacher, and I consider
myself a superb student, so things have been going pretty well so far, I mean,
I did finish that one all by myself didn't I?
I was thinking about all of this and how necessary it was
for my husband to be able to communicate to me his thought process for solving
the puzzles, when I read the gospel reading for today from Mark 7. It’s the one about Jesus opening the ears of a
deaf man who had a speech impediment.
The passage indicates the connection between hearing and
speech. As soon as the man’s ears were
opened by Jesus, his speech impediment was removed.
And what does Jesus say to him, now that the man can hear
and speak so others can understand him?
Don’t tell anyone.
As you can imagine this went over very well, and the man and
the other people who were present, went and told everyone!
After I successfully completed my first (and so far only)
Sudoku puzzle, I was so excited. And while
I realize that my miracle doesn’t rise to the level of Jesus’ opening the ears
of the deaf man and removing his speech impediment, all I can say is, I did
have the same response as the man—I am telling everyone.
So now that YOU know, it is your turn to go out and tell
everyone.
And while you are spreading my good news, don’t forget to
mention Jesus and his miracle, because that was pretty cool, too. You can read more about him if you click here.
💘
Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net
janetcassidy.blogspot.com
janetcassidy.blubrry.net
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