THE NARROW WAY
Matthew 7:13-14
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell (the road that leads to destruction) is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
The Narrow Way, it is not easily found, obtained, or traveled. Nor is it always chosen. This “narrow way” is the key to our salvation. This journey in finding the narrow way will be more challenging and difficult than we can even begin to measure. As modern day people we are easily given the answer to our problems. Even if we have a challenge, the solution is close enough to reach our fingertips. In this case, our solution is not easy enough to just reach our fingertips, nor even measurable.
Let me ask you this. How many of you have cats? You know those long strands of coarse hair billowing off their cheeks, whiskers. Well they are not just for show; whiskers play a key role in a cat’s life. Whiskers provide balance for the cat, sending nerves in and out the tips and back to the nervous system. They also help detect the width of an opening. When a cat approaches a small enclosed space that is too small, their whiskers send little nerves to their brain letting them know they will not fit. This is similar to our journey to our salvation, except instead of sporting whiskers on our cheeks, we have Jesus Christ. Jesus helps us through every opening, no matter the size. The only difference between our situation and the cat’s situation is that they may not fit through the narrowest path, but with the power and strength of Jesus Christ within us, we can.
We live in a world that is constantly telling us what we can and can’t do. Yes, we are given limitations after limitations after limitations. At some point in your life you will have experienced the wrath of high school. High school can be a great place, full of knowledge, wisdom, and many great experiences, but is the central source of limitations spiritually. As of the 1960’s, religion and public schooling took a spin and somehow ended on opposite poles. This makes no sense, how something as powerful as faith could be scratched from the grasp of our education system. What is learning without growth and faith in Christ? Nowadays, teens rarely go to church or are even exposed to Christianity. The word “God” is rarely even spoken within the walls of school. Students spend large parts of their waking hours in school having to keep faith under the wraps. Church is not considered cool by many unchurched teens, making Christian teens feel uncomfortable wearing a cross around their neck through the hallways. Seven and a half hours a day, seven and a half hours of long, grueling hours that are expected to be spent without God. Without God, that high school hallway is going to be broader, wider, and easier to pass through, making school effortless and carefree. But with God, that hallway is going to be narrower than ever, and the climb through high school will be very rocky. It seems as though all these things are all working against us, but in the end you’ll look down at the view and realize all your time climbing has been well spent.
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