“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
Matthew 7:13-14

Dear God, I know that ultimately only you know how the afterlife works. These two verses leave me wondering why it would be so hard to spend eternity with you, but something tells me I’m not going to figure it out in this moment, or really at anytime this side of death, so I’m not going to dwell on it. What I do want to appreciate this morning is the value in choosing the narrow road.

I’ve sinned enough in my life to appreciate how wide the narrow road is and what it’s like to live on it. One thing I always find on that road is guilt and shame. It’s a cloud that follows me when I’m on that road. Of course, when I feel shame then I want to hide my sin and even hide from you. I don’t want to pray. I don’t want to pursue you. I get past the initial euphoria of being on such a wide road with so many self-indulgent options and find myself feeling isolated and alone.

Father, the narrow road is hard, but it’s where I find peace. Thank you for making the narrow road attainable, both at the beginning of my Christian walk and when I stray to the other road while on my journey. Thank you for the sacrifice of Jesus. Thank you for the Holy Spirit. I’m prone to wander, Lord. I feel it. I’m prone to leave the God I love. Here’s my heart. Take and seal it. Seal it for your courts above.

In Jesus’s name I pray,

Amen