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Accepting the Easy Task

Accepting the Easy Task

Last updated on: July 9, 2025 at 2:24 pm by Teresa Blythe

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Accepting the Easy Task 2025-07-09T14:24:44-08:00 Teresa Blythe

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Not everything we do needs to be so hard. When you think about what God may be asking of you, allow yourself to believe it might be the easier road.

Consider ease

Spiritual directors sometimes see people who assume God wants them to suffer, or at least break a sweat, when they consider God’s invitation. That could be the case, but then there’s the story of Naaman (2 Kings 5), the military man with leprosy. When his predicament came to the prophet Elisha, word was sent back that Naaman should wash seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be healed.

Naaman balked. Elisha had not even shown up to perform the healing. And washing in a dirty river was too easy (and perhaps considered below his station in life) for Naaman to consider.

Consider ordinary

But one of his servants pointed out, “If the prophet had asked you to do something difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? Go wash and be cleaned!”

Naaman finally agreed and the story tells us “his flesh was restored.” Naaman accepted that what God asked of him was easy and ordinary. Just washing in a dirty river.

Listen to your desires and talent

When discerning what God is inviting you to do with your life, don’t assume it’s going to be hard or extraordinary. Many times, the invitation grows out of our desires, talent, and skills. Perhaps the hard thing to do is trust that we don’t have to look for miracles or a flashy vision accompanying the invitation.

The hard task might be accepting the grace of ease.

Education and Religion

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About Teresa Blythe

Teresa Blythe is a full-time spiritual director and ordained UCC minister living and working in Phoenix, AZ. She is founder of the Phoenix Center for Spiritual Direction and served as the Director of the Hesychia School of Spiritual Direction in Tucson for over 14 years. She now trains spiritual directors in the Apprentice Training Program, which she created. Contact her at [email protected]. You can read more about the author here.

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