“Go
in through the narrow gate, because the gate to hell is wide and the road that
leads to it is easy, and there are many who travel it." Matthew 7:13
This
journey called life is full of ups and downs. It can be uplifting and full of
awesome markers such as birth, graduations, weddings, celebrations, promotions
and just plain laughter. It can also be full of heart breakers such as death,
divorce, suspension or termination, back stabbing and the like. Then there
seems to be the mediocre. The ups and downs of emotion: joy, happiness, love,
laughter, depression, hatred, loneliness, etc. This is the journey we call
life and there is no way to jump off the train without getting hurt or dying
(attempted or successful suicide) as well as there is no way to bear it all
without the Conductor of our lives to reassure us of the bumps and bruises we
may get when we are pushed, forced or fall down.
The verse today speaks so much to me. I picture this very narrow
but worn path met with distractions, vines in the way, hanging limbs that look
as they may fall at any time and a dusty, sometimes uncomfortable road leading
to the Way, the Truth and the Life; Jesus. But in all actuality He is the
reason that path is worn. He walked that path centuries ago to pave the way for
us, to make it a little bit easier to see this very small, very narrow path.
The three years of His ministry was marked with ups (deliverances, miracles,
little children, converts) and downs (death, denial, lies, ignorance of his own
disciples, abuse, slander and eventually his own brutal death). But the miracle
of His story, of his life on Earth is that it didn't stop there! He rose again
3 days later!!! That can be the truth for us as we who continue to walk,
stumble and even fall on this very narrow path, we too can take heed and rise
as well. The point is not that you have fallen; the point is that God loves you
regardless and you can raise back up as Jesus did as a Holy Example!
The opposite of the
narrow path is that wide, very traveled path that everyone who does not care to
be careful, all those that have traveled the road that is less comfortable and
those who don't know there is another road are content to walk on. The road is
made in such a way that many can fit on it at a time. It's made to be more
comfortable and there is less bumping into folks, less stepping on shoes, less
chance to ruffle someone's feathers on the journey. Who wouldn't want this
path? I walked this path for 38 years. It was comfortable, it had tents in case
I wanted to rest or give up for a while. There were pit stops to sit and drink,
mingle and even meet up with desirable people. What it didn't have is Jesus. I
could tell there was something missing. Even when I was young. I tried talking
to this God I had heard about from different churches but couldn't seem to yell
loud enough over the crowds of people walking with me, and I certainly couldn't
hear what He was saying to me. That became irritating and I would eventually
say, "Oh never mind!" each time I tried to start this conversation. All
the while the only thing He was saying was, "I love you, beloved child.
Come walk with me." But that wide road looked so much more comfortable
than the narrow one He was walking with those few worn, tired looking,
sometimes carried people. I didn’t want to leave this road and lose my place on
the road to "success" just to go over and see what He was saying to
me!
What road are you on?
Little do we know, the wide road has its bumps as well. Those bumps are
messages sent from the One who longs to walk beside us on the narrow road. It's
His way of saying, "Come to me and I will give you rest." We are so
busy walking that we don't realize we need rest. We don't realize we are more
tired looking than the few on the narrow path. They just don't seem to be
having fun and He has to carry them sometimes! We never have to be carried on
the wide road, do we? Or maybe it's that we have no one to carry us and so we
just keep moving. Aren’t you tired of walking? Don't you desire rest? His arms
are waiting. Walk the path of Jesus and get that rest you need! Its okay that
you fall, He will catch you. He won't condemn your fall. He will only brush off
the dirt and either carries you or set you back on the path, depending on the
pain from that fall.
Have you been on the
narrow path and gave up because you couldn't "see" God from where you
were? There is a popular poem called Footprints that
says on the times you only see one set of footprints, those times when you
don't feel Him near, it's because He is carrying you. I like to say when I
can't feel Him or He seems far away, He is preparing my table in the midst of
my enemies! But I forget that and want to look to the right and the left and
that's when I lose my footing. Come back to Him. His arms never get tired of
being wide open for you. Walk, run, and jog.... come to Him. After all, Jesus
walked this road initially and paved the way for us. He made it and He was on
earth as flesh just like us, why can't we?
Jesus, thank you for
marking this hard to walk road for us. Thank you for not stopping at dying for
us but also rising again with all power to then give us that same power in you.
This road is hard to stay on. It seems to be filled with distractions to trip
us up and knock us down. Those on the wide road have their eyes always on us
waiting for us to trip and fall. Give us strength to continue this journey and
show them the way to walk it victoriously. In Jesus name, Amen!
