We are walking somewhere in life. Going places we planned to go, ending up in other places we never planned for and somehow often we all end up at a dead end somewhere in our life. Yet no matter what, how or where we go, we always keep going.
I remember growing up in church these posters that would illustrate the walk in human life. One side would be the vast wild and easy path the lead straight to the gates of fire and brimstone. On the other side was this stone wall and narrow gate that separated a few people on this garden path upward into glorious heaven.
I never liked those posters. For one they scared me. They always put them in children's Sunday school classrooms. But also, it didn't feel right.
Jesus King of the Universe on this little pretty secret garden side path, separating a few people from all other. I mean GOD! King of Kings, Lord of lords, and He walks on the tini path pretending everyone else on the other are filthy rotten sinners he wants nothing to do with?
Instead, I like to think of it as there are many, hundreds of paths. And right in the middle; right in the center of it, is this small path where God, Jesus Christ resides.
You see because really dark and cruel things are pretty obvious. Those paths are wide and in shadows. We see murder, lying, cheating, horrid people doing horrid things to others. But then we other paths that look mighty and grand, but really its deceiving. Like media telling you you NEED to be beautiful to be valued. A person back stabbing their friends for personal gain. A parent claiming "I'm protecting me child." by keeping her children away from a good father. So many paths walking in so many directions, but they are all heading to the same destination.
Yet, in the middle there is this narrow path. Its hard. And we stumble on it, but it is there leading us into love and sacrifice. It is not narrow because it suppose to weed the "unwanted." Because we already God's people is made up of the unwanted and broken. It's also not narrow because their is a limit to how many get to Jesus.
No it is narrow,because it requires you to walk close to Jesus. Its narrow because those on the same narrow path are forced to be near. It makes us show our raw and broken beauty. It shows our mess and we can celebrate being seen, known and honest, knowing Jesus is making us beautiful.
The path is also in the center of it, because Jesus is center of all life and the universe. This path is in the middle because that is where Jesus can be found. If you are high and mighty the path is down to bring you down to where He is. If you are below, its above where He draws up. It is right in the middle where Jesus draws everyone in
That is just my thoughts for today.
Look upon the day, knowing He is there.
Stay inspired!
