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The Narrow Way Which is easier to do? To squeeze your body through a narrow gap between two rocks or to walk through an open field? Of course, walking through an open field is much easier. However, if the only way you can reach your family is to squeeze between the rocks, would you still walk through the open field where there are no markers to indicate which way to go to reach your family? No, if the only way you could reach your loved ones was through the gap, that is the way you would go! No matter where you are traveling, whether you are walking home or going halfway around the world, if there is only one way to arrive at your destination, that is the way that you would take. If there is only one airport in the country, that is where you must land. If there is only one door through which you can reach the boss, that is the door through which you must go. If there is only one hospital with the equipment to save your life, that is the hospital to which you must go! We understand these things about our lives and the physical world in which we live. The same principle is true in the spiritual world. You may go anywhere you want to go and do anything you want to do. There are no restrictions, unless you have a specific destination in mind. If you want to go to heaven for all eternity and spend that eternity in the presence of your Holy Family, the Father, Son, Holy Spirit, the angels and the others who have lived for Christ, then you must follow the directions for how to reach that destination. The world will tell you to go whatever way you want to go because all roads lead to heaven and eternal bliss, but Jesus taught that there is only one way to the Father and heaven and eternal life, and that way is through Him. That is why He said to “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” Matthew 7:13-14. It APPEARS to be easier to take the way of the world that says that you can do anything that you want to do and still get to heaven, but those who live that way find that they do things that hurt themselves physically, emotionally, and mentally as well as spiritually. They become depressed and lonely, angry and violent, self-centered and possessive, and many end up taking their own lives or the lives of others. They find that life is hard and hopeless, confusing, and complicated. Is that a happy way to live? Can one really expect to find happiness at the end of that broad road? No! Even though the way of Jesus may initially seem to be a harder way to go, the more one learns to live by the teachings of the Lord and the commands of God, the more we find that life becomes better and better in every way. We find peace and companionship with the Father and the church; we find joy and contentment and love; we experience the wonder of giving to others and needing less and less for ourselves, and we enjoy a fuller and more fulfilling life. Even when the outside influences of life are difficult, we have the joy and the hope of having the power of the Spirit in us, the support of the body around us, and the love of God drawing us closer to Him. Life becomes purposeful where it had been meaningless and clear where it had been confusing. We find ourselves singing when the world says we should be crying and dancing when the world thinks we should be mourning. When we make the commitment to follow the narrow way of living for Christ, we find that all the “restrictions” that are placed on us actually give us greater physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual freedom. It is a paradox to the world, but it is simple – God made us and knows how He designed us to function at our highest capacity, and that is when we are plugged into Him, living by His power, and functioning according to the manual He has given us – His word, the Bible. When life is hard and confusing and hopeless, search for the narrow way of obedience and humble submission to God. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will exalt you.” James 4:10 #NarrowWay #narrowway #TheNarrowWay #thenarrowway #HumbleYourself #humbleyourself