The Narrow Way
Jun 06 in Just Follow ME
I have been pondering ‘the narrow way’ for some time now. What exactly does it mean to follow the narrow path? One of my favourite poems is the one written by Robert Frost; The Road not Taken, part of it reads:
‘Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less travelled by,
And that has made all the difference’.
I imagine myself at a crossroads, a junction with two paths; two choices that I know will affect the rest of my life. The first, to my left, the narrow path: untrodden, less alluring, less travelled by. The second, to my right, a more appealing and popular way: easier, certainly the most attractive (and self-pleasing) choice. It reminds me of a yearly festivity that took place in my home town; every square had a different band playing. It was so crowded that if you lifted your feet off the ground, you were carried by the masses of people from one square to the next. My friends found it exhilarating; I found it to be a very frightening experience. It was virtually impossible to fight the current and its direction.
We find the Narrow Way mentioned in John Bunyan’s book ‘The Pilgrims Way’ as Christian reaches the wicket gate which opens onto the holy way leading to the celestial city. An excerpt:
‘Goodwill: … “good Christian, come a little way with me, and I will teach thee about the way thou must go. Look before thee; dost thou see this narrow way? That is the way thou must go. It was cast up by the patriarchs, prophets, Christ and his apostles, and it is as straight as a rule can make it: This is the way thou must go.”
Christian: “But … are there no turnings nor windings, by which a stranger may lose his way?”
Goodwill: “Yes, there are many ways butt down upon this; and they are crooked and wide: But thus thou mayest distinguish the right from the wrong, the right only being straight and narrow.”’
However, as we read on, Christian and his friend soon begin to rely on their own wisdom and thinking they had found an easier path – which to their calculations followed in the same direction, alongside the narrow path – they veer off, meeting a man called Vain Confidence who leads them out of the way and results with them being imprisoned in Doubting castle by its owners: Giant Despair and his wife Diffidence.
‘Then Hopeful groaned in himself, saying, “O that I had kept on my way Christian: who could have thought that this path should have led us out of the way?”’
John Bunyan himself a man who had opted in his life to follow the narrow path and who knew firsthand the countless pitfalls and enticements which lay along the way.
So what do we know about the Narrow way?
It is narrow and difficult and few find it (Matthew 7:13-14). In the book of Jeremiah it says (amplified version):
It is an ancient path, proven through time. It never strays from the truth, never turns or changes course, it is the way of wisdom, a way that is guarded and protected ‘He guards the course of the just and protects the way of His faithful ones’, however requires a strong persuasion, much strength and determination to stay on it as it offers no shortcuts and has many paths that cross and veer from it enticing you with ‘better’ however always at the expense of ‘best’.
The Narrow way is only wide enough for one person at a time. You are accountable for every step you take along that path. It is a personal path. It encompasses every decision, every choice you make, every situation, every circumstance you come across and your reactions. It is straight but that doesn’t mean it is uninteresting, it still has variation. It is solitary but that doesn’t mean lonely. Every step is taken with His help and His direction.
Reaching the narrow path will always include a leap of faith. It leads to a deeper walk, filled with the love and presence of God; it is directed by Peace and leads to Joy although not free from opposition.
I want to continue to ponder on the narrow way and how it affects ‘me and my walk’ and how I can apply it to real life situations, but want to leave you with a final thought about another ‘narrow’ something I found in the Bible, which may well be found at the end of this narrow pathway.
In the book of Mark chapter 10 we find it says:
Jesus was actually referring to a very real gate in the city of Jerusalem called The Eye of the Needle; a gateway so small and narrow that the only way travelers could get through was to remove all baggage the camel was carrying and then proceed to push and squeeze the animal through the opening!
Food for thought: Have we set the right priorities in life? What baggage are we carrying? We can be so concerned with accumulating that we lose sight of what is really important.
An excerpt from a book by Stephen R. Covey ‘the 7 habits of highly effective people’ says:
‘When you begin with the end in mind, you gain a different perspective. One man asked another on the death of a mutual friend, “How much did he leave?” His friend responded,“He left it all.”
