thin path

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Matthew 7:14

O Keeper of the narrow gate I come to You today. I have chosen to follow You just as You have chosen for me to follow. And the path I have been on has been hard. There is more ahead that will be narrow and rugged. I look to You. I know this is the path of life, and I will hike it to the summit!

Some men tell lies about an easy way. They stand at a wide gate and convince a crowd that coming to You is about a gilded path of wealth and happiness, no sickness, no trials, and no difficulty. They walk a wide road to hell and destruction, all the while invoking lies and producing blindness. I’ll have none of that!

Give me the climb. Give me the steep rocks. Lead me through the canyons, into the valleys, across the raging waters, and up the cliff faces as necessary. The thin path strengths my trust in You, Jesus. And yet it is nothing like the road You took up Your hill, to die for me! You created this path to my life by Your dying. I will live on it even as it means I climb with difficulty and with desperate determination and purpose. When I am weary, be my Guide, O Holy Spirit. Be my hope, my Leader, and my companion, Lord Jesus. Urge me on, Father. I will hike with the few.

Amen