Cryptic Clues?

Saturday. Our day for the Times crossword.

We’re not actually very good at it. Well, sometimes we manage to finish it, working together. But it is a good brain exercise they say, and we enjoy the challenge.

Sometimes the clues seem more obscure than others. Sometimes they seem absolutely simple. Who writes these things, anyway?

I hasten to add that we don’t do the cryptic clues. I don’t even understand how those work. We do the basic definitions, and those are challenging enough for us.

Sometimes life seems a bit like a crossword puzzle. It’s hard to figure out what things mean. 

Reading the Bible can be that way, too. The meaning of a passage can appear obscure, irrelevant, or meaningless. But as you re-read it, pondering over it, praying for understanding, that’s when you discover what people mean when they call the Bible the living word of God. Because all of a sudden, a word or a phrase lights up with neon lights and its meaning can cut right to the heart of your problems, or it can challenge you to look again at something you didn’t realize was a problem, or it can comfort you at your point of need. 

It is as if your best friend is giving you a word of advice, encouragement, or comfort.

Which, of course, it is.