“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.” Matthew 7:13
I love to bike ride. Last month I rode 204 miles to support the fight against childhood cancer. All of those miles reminded me of one of my favorite analogies of the Christian life. The narrow road we walk on when we follow Christ, for the road must be narrow to get through the narrow gate.
When you are riding on the road with your bike, it’s best to stay as far to the side as possible to avoid getting hit by a car. I like to ride in the narrow edge between where the white painted line is and the edge of the asphalt. I think of this as the narrow road of following Christ. Sometimes however, I sway past the painted line and am in the much larger road where I’m more likely to get hit by a car. I always try to get back into the narrow lane as quickly as possible. It’s much safer there.
I think it’s a beautiful picture of what it is like to follow Christ. There is only one way to get to Him, one gate to pass through. However in life, there are many ways we can choose to live our life, many gates we could pass through.
We can follow the path of money and spend all of our time trying to get through the gate of wealth. We can follow the path of relationships with people and try to find happiness through that gate. We can follow the path of diet and exercise and try to find our identity in being the perfect size. There are so many paths we can take, so many gates we can try to get through. Gates that cause us to lose focus of Jesus.
When I’m riding along on my bike, staying in my narrow little lane I imagine it is like when I’m following Christ. Those times when I know I’m in His will, I can feel His presence, we’re in tune with each other. But then I swerve off the road, I enter into the big road. Those are the times when I take my eyes off of Jesus and focus on something else. It could be my own selfishness, a relationship I’m not trusting Him with or a problem I’m trying to solve on my own. It’s those times I forget to ask Jesus into the situation. Those times I try to do it on my own strength and not with Him. Those are the times when I swerve into the big road.
Gratefully, I always find my way back to the narrow road. I find my way back to Him. The quicker the better, the safer I will be. It’s the same in life. The sooner I realize I’ve lost my focus, the faster I can get the Son back in my eyes. The faster I get back on the straight and narrow. It takes work to stay on the narrow road. It’s ok if you swerve off of it every now and then. It’s inevitable. The important part is that you find your way back.
Side of the Road
This is so insightful and beautiful. I thought, even when we are safe zone and lock step with Him, a car can still hurt you, it’s just less likely there. Same with our walk with God. Life, sickness, and sinners can still mess you up. It’s just less likely and easier to recover from in His presence. Thank you for this great imagery!