What Scares You?

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Some people are afraid of heights.  Others can't handle going up or down steps that have an open back.  I don't have either of those problems, but I do remember going down a very long stairway one time and after a lot of steps, I felt like I was going to freeze as I neared the bottom.  I think it's a visual thing.  After you have been looking down so long, it seems like your brain and your feet get out of sync.

Anyway, I read in the Gospel of Matthew today about the narrow gate.  I've never heard of anyone being afraid of gates like they are stairs, but the gate in Matthew 7, verse 12, is something that does make me a little nervous.

It goes like this:

“Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”

Boy does that make me shiver!  Today, we easily understand this as a description of the path to heaven.  The question is always, "Exactly just how narrow is that gate?"

While I don't have the answer to that question, it is definitely worthy of our individual reflection as we examine our behavior, our attitudes, and even our life.

With any self-examination, it is good to keep in mind that we have a loving and merciful God.  But, that does not mean that we can live recklessly as if he doesn't exist, as if we will not face judgment one day. No doubt each of us wants to be on that road that leads to life.  

Socrates is quoted as saying, "The unexamined life is not worth living."  

Take a few minutes today and ponder the narrow gate and the broad road.  Examine your life. Consider where you are and where you want to be, and then ask God to show you the changes you need to make in your life so that you can be among the few on the road to life.

Janet Cassidy
janetcassidy.blogspot.com

 



 

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