“Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it. How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.”
- Matthew 7:13-14
I noticed something the other day while out walking with my human. Now, I’ll admit right up front, I’m not always the best at staying on the path. Sometimes there’s a squirrel to investigate, a smell worth sniffing, or a muddy ditch that suddenly seems like the greatest idea I’ve ever had.
My human usually says something like, “No sir… this way.”
Funny thing is… he’s always right.
The muddy ditch usually ends with a bath.
The squirrel wins every race.
And the “shortcut” through the briars? Well, let’s just say burrs and dogs were never meant to become close friends.
Life with God seems a lot like that walk.
There are plenty of wide roads out there.
Easy roads.
Popular roads.
Roads where everybody else seems to be running, barking, chasing, and rolling around without much thought at all.
From a dog’s-eye view, those roads can look mighty tempting.
But my human keeps pointing me back to the better path.
Not always the easiest one.
Not always the one that looks the most exciting at first glance.
But it’s the path that keeps me close, moving toward something better, and ultimately heading home.
I think people do the same thing with God sometimes.
They tug against the leash a bit.
Wanting their own direction.
Their own timing.
Their own way.
But God, in His goodness, keeps saying, “This way.”
The narrow road isn’t narrow because God wants to make life hard.
It’s narrow because truth usually is.
Faith takes trust.
Obedience takes surrender.
Love takes sacrifice.
And following Jesus means leaving behind a few muddy ditches that only lead to trouble.
Now I’m still learning.
Sometimes I still pull toward the wrong trail when I catch an interesting scent drifting on the wind.
But I’m beginning to understand something important:
The safest place for a dog is beside his master.
And the best place for a soul is beside its Savior.
So today, maybe we don’t follow the crowd, the noise, or every shiny thing the world tosses into our path.
Listen for the voice of the One holding the leash.
Stay close to Him.
He knows the best way home.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
