Squeezing Into Life

From Henry’s Desk

 

“ …Enter through the narrow gate …” (Mt7:13, NIV)

Have you ever considered the Christian life as a series of narrow gates?  You are cruising along, things are going pretty good, and all of a sudden you come to a gate!  Not only do you come to a gate, but the gate is too narrow to get through with all the stuff you are carrying.  And not only that, but it is a one time gate. You can only pass through it once.  You can’t go through it with some of your stuff and then come back and get the rest of it.  This produces a moment of crisis, a moment of decision, a moment pregnant with opportunity for growth.

 You finally make the right decision and go through the narrow gate.  You even find that it is easier traveling on the other side of the gate, having left some of your stuff behind.  Why, it is much nicer on this side than you ever imagined it could be!  And then you come upon another narrow gate.

Why, this gate is even narrower than the last one!  And all the stuff you are now carrying is not going to fit through it!  There is no way to turn around and no way to go around.  It is another moment filled with potential, crisis, and decisions.  There is a little more of a struggle this time.  You even try to drag some of the stuff behind you through the gate, but you can’t get through, so you let go of it.

 My, what a beautiful place you have walked into!  More wonderful than you ever imagined it could be!  And you don’t really miss what you left behind, it is actually much easier to walk without it.  You continue along and suddenly find yourself at another gate, even more narrow than the last one.  You don’t see how you are going to get much through this gate, and it is going to be hard to decide what to leave behind.  But you face the crisis, make the right decision, and take the correct action.  You continue on, finding the journey delightful!

 Onward you go!  And then another even narrower gate.  This time you aren’t even thinking about your stuff.  You don’t even see how you are going to squeeze through it.  You approach the opening, measuring it with your eyes, thinking, there is no way.  You slowly push your body through, scrapping some of your flesh off on the sides of the gate.  Wow, this is starting to be painful.

Finally you are through the gate.  My, how wonderful it is on this side.  Oh sure, there is still a little pain, and some smudges of blood, but you are through the gate and you are loving it!

You actually have a skip to your step now as you continue on.  You are really beginning to enjoy this life!  Up ahead you see another narrow gate …