The Broad Way Gets More and More Narrow
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” Mathew 7:13, 14.
This passage comes from the familiar Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave. To read the whole sermon and get some context, click here.
The truth is, we will experience difficulty no matter which path we choose. The narrow path promises immediate but temporary difficulty. But the destination is glorious and permanent.
The broad path is pleasant, but temporary. And the destination is permanent misery.
A Path is Temporary
Either way we will experience struggle. The difference is one is temporary, and the other is permanent. A path by definition has a destination and is therefore temporary. A destination is the final outcome and is therefore permanent.
If I had to choose between a hard path which is temporary or a hard destination which is permanent, I would certainly choose the temporary option, wouldn’t you?
When I was in nursing school a few moons ago, I had a choice to make. I could choose to exercise the self-denial and self-control to study.
This would enable me to have the final glorious and permanent outcome of a good grade in the class. This was difficult but temporary. This is the narrow path that leads to life.
Or I could be lazy and undisciplined. And refuse to exercise the self-control necessary to study and do my homework. This is the broad, easy path of least resistance.
But it leads to the final outcome of permanent failure in that class. In this case, the path isn’t hard, but the destination is. And it’s permanent, unless of course I decide to take the class over.
Smoking is another example. The narrow path of quitting is immediately uncomfortable and unpleasant. But it’s temporary. And ultimately leads to health and life. This is much more permanent that the few weeks or months of struggle involved in quitting.
The broad path of not quitting is much more pleasant and comfortable in the short term. But it leads to the more permanent misery of ill-health and a shortened life span.
A Certain Amount of Suffering is Inevitable
The point is no matter which path we choose, a certain amount of suffering is inevitable.
The only real question is will we choose the suffering that’s immediate but temporary and eventually leads to blessing. Or the suffering that is delayed but permanent and is, in fact, the final destination or outcome.
We want our suffering to be temporary. But to have that it must be immediate. If we choose delayed suffering, we are living in the delusion that it will never come.
But of course, it will.
And when it does, it will come with a vengeance and permanency that can only be described as misery. While we’re on this earth, the question is not will we suffer, but for how long and to what degree.
For further reading check out The Narrow Road and Self-Control in the Bible or Spiritual (Real) Freedom and How to Get It .
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