Narrow Is the Path to Life, but What Does That Mean?
“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” Mathew 7: 13, 14.
In this passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus urges us to choose the narrow gate and hard way that leads to life. This is opposed to the wide gate and easy way that leads to destruction. To read the entire chapter for context, click here.
Narrow Is the Path Means Affliction
The small gate is the gate of “groaning“, and the narrow path is the path of “affliction, trouble, and suffering tribulation“. This is according to the Blue Letter Bible. The path of righteousness is a hard one. It involves self-restraint, self-control, and self-denial.
It requires that we die to the instinct to preserve our life and lean entirely on God. So, from day to day, the narrow path can be uncomfortable and unpleasant. It requires faith and trust in God.
When you’re on it, it doesn’t always feel like you’re making progress toward the destination of life. It’s kind of like when you’re driving up a mountain. Even though your altitude is increasing, it often seems like the road is level or even going down. It doesn’t seem like you’re making progress up the mountain, even though you actually are.
The narrow path is the same way. Day to day life can be hard and even painful. But I’ve discovered when I look back on my life over the course of a year, that it’s crowned with God’s blessing and protection and bounty and provision.
The Destination of The Hard Path Is Glory
So, the destination of those difficult, uncomfortable days is glory if I stay the course and continue to do what’s right despite how it feels from day to day.
So, we have to accept the fact that the narrow path of righteousness that leads to life and glory in the end, is not going to tickle our emotions and make us feel good all of the time. Or even most of the time.
Having said that, we will have peace and joy in the midst of the trials. But trials we will have in abundance.
To read another post related to Narrow Is the Path to Life, but What Does that Mean? see The Glory of God and How we Fall Short of It.