The point that I am making is that we have been told that this life is narrow. We didn't stop short of describing the gate, or the path to life, but went on and described the remainder of this journey as a perilous venture. Making sure that we stay on this straight and narrow path. My problem with this type of imagery is that I see it playing out in the lives of so many people, and it's not pretty. It's not full. And it is definitely not abundant.
What I am sharing with you is a personal reflection. This reflection comes out of my own experience with the Lord. I spent years trying to walk this tightrope. The image I had was walking this fine line with dangers on every side. One false move to the right or the left could mean plummeting to my death. What I failed to realize is that the gate to life, and the path to life, are the same. It's Jesus. Can't get much narrower than that. He describes Himself as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He's it. There's no one else coming. There's no other way being invented. If you really want to experience abundant life, and true relationship with the Father, you experience it through Him. What no one ever told me was just how wide open life is within Him. It's like that moment in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory when Willy Wonka stoops in front of the tiny door that would allow everyone into the factory. Everyone is looking at the door thinking there is no way they can make it through. Suddenly, as he pushed on that tiny door, you discover that the door was much much larger. When it opens, you discover a world of "pure imagination."
I realize that some of you may not like that analogy, but it's what I see. Jesus narrowed down our vision. He allowed us to see Him as the only way in. But it's not until we get into the writings of the Apostle Paul that we see just how HUGE this door really is. A door that was not only opened to the Jews, but One that allowed the Gentiles to walk in as well. A world full of joy, peace, grace, and love. A world where anything is possible in Him. A relationship of genuine trust. That's what we were invited to enjoy. This is the fullness of life that we were guaranteed.
As I reflected upon this yesterday, I was reminded of one of the most pivotal moments of my life. Unknowingly, my Dad taught me what it meant to live in the grace of God. How would tell you that he really didn't know what he was doing. Faced with the task of raising two teenage boys on his own, this seemed to him the only solution. With 5 simple words he empowered us: "How About I Trust You." An amazing God moment. A lesson that I would come to fully realize years later. How did I respond to this empowerment? I lived as a son. I understood the responsibility before me. I recognized the weight of this trust. But I also knew that he had already put so much into us. It was time for me to live it out.
Freedom is more than just doing what you want to do. True freedom is the ability to live as a trusted son. It's understanding all that has been given to us. It carries the weight and responsibility of poor choices, as well as, the praise and glory of good ones. The difference in this kind of life is that I wasn't called to "walk the line", I was called to carry His heart. What was true in my Dad is also true in my Heavenly Father. He trusts me. He trusts me to carry the family name. He knows there will be times when I fail. He knows that I won't always get it right. But He trusts me. And in His trust I am able to experience what fullness of life is all about.
I see too many people with the walk the fine line mentality. I see them trying desperately to live out this narrow faith. It's full of lists, do's and don'ts, steps, and procedures. Burdensome. Tiring. And it's all about how they see the Lord. They believe Him to be so narrow that they have to live in a narrow way. "This way is right." "This is how you should believe about ___________." Straight laced. No room for error. While this may have been the faith that you grew up in, I want to ask you a question: If what this life is all about is just following rules, then why do we need the Holy Spirit? Why do we need grace? Is Holy Spirit in you just to make sure you can follow the Law? I think not.
You and I were invited into abundant life in Him. A life full of choices. Full of possibilities. A life full of grace and full of mercy. A life of asking questions and discovering answers. A life where you are free to become all that He has created you to be. That's what this life is all about.
I find it interesting that in Isaiah the "Way of Holiness" is described as a highway. Not a footpath. How's that for some imagery? But our understanding of holiness gets in the way. We see holiness through the lens of sin (and separation from it) rather than through the lens of being set apart in Him. Just as the Father is holy, completely set apart from everything else; you are holy, completely distinct from the rest of creation. There is no other species upon the Earth like you. You are unique in every way. A new creation. A son/daughter of God that is able to live in His trust, to carry His heart, and to be a true reflection of your Father. We stand as imagery. A lens through which everyone around us is able to see the love, the compassion, the justice, and the goodness of God.
Are you starting to see? Is the image starting to come into view? Jesus was/is the way into a Kingdom. This Kingdom is a world of the Father's pure imagination. Within this Kingdom, we learn how to do life. We learn how to share this life with others. It's a wide open place full of mountains, valleys, and people. All kinds of people. We will stumble. We will fall. But we will ultimately rise to the occasion to take our place among them.
This is why religion fails us. The Father doesn't need robots. He doesn't need a community of rule keepers. He longs for sons and daughters who carry His heart. This is who we are. This is what we are meant to experience. Not the narrow mindedness of some religious system. It's a full life. A good life. A journey in Him.
Enjoy!
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