Easy Living? '... difficult is the way....'

[Image: Steps, JAVanDevender, 2010]

Matthew 7:13–14 (NKJV)

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. ¹⁴ Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

It was not a "dark and stormy night" but not much more could be said for it.

Harper's Ferry, WVa. was kind of "hunkered down" under the cold and damp. The sky hung sullenly over head and cast a flat, grey, mournful tone across an otherwise charming little town. All the contrast and brightness were sucked out of the colors. But the juxtaposition of steps the converging lines of the side-walls and sidewalk, and the cross wise lines of the levels, caught my eye and so I photographed it anyway. Obviously the resulting photo has been heavily manipulated to give it a "graphic image" quality.

What exactly was it that drew me to this scene? I think it was the mental picture of folks, centuries ago, climbing up those torturous steps, slipping on the icy paving stones, hanging on to each other and to the side rails to keep from falling, shivering against the freezing wind just so they could gather for worship.

Why did they do it? Why did the aged painfully exercise their arthritic knees and risk serious harm to spend a couple of hours (?) in that beautiful old church? Why? .... because it was worth it.

Too often, in our self-indulgent age, religion and Christianity in particular, has been packaged in such away as to "reach the market." Amidst a bunch of spiritual "hand-waving", Christ is promoted as pointing us to a life of ease and comfort, at least "for our souls." Life becomes easy if we just "give it up to God" or to Christ. If there is anything that sells in modern America it is that which makes our lives more easy, more carefree, more enjoyable. We measure the value of things by how good they make us "feel" rather than the objective benefit they may or may not bring to our existence.

But standing there, over and against such trivialization of His message, is the Christ, Jesus the Son of God. He makes no prior concessions to His call on our lives. His unconditional command is "Come, follow me." He promises nothing other than Himself as a certain outcome. He may tell us, as with a certain young man, that we must give away all that we possess in order to go with Him. He may lead us in circumstances where evil men or women do to our bodies what other men did to His. He tells us that a servant is not better than his master and therefore cannot, by definition, expect better treatment. He tells us that some people labor in the vineyard all day long and are subjected to long hours of bitter toil, while others labor only for a short time, and yet, at the end of the day, they all receive the same wages.

What strikes us is just how stark, how otherwise forbidding, are the steps that He points to us to take. There it is a steep climb and there are many dangers... and, at the top, what is promised... "only" fellowship with Him. One has to be crazy... or one has to be born again... to accept that pathway in the first place. Only the born again will undertake it with joy. For, at the end, when the climb is complete, they know that what is there promised and what is there certain, is that the warmth, blessing, thrill, and fulfillment of their lives awaits.

Those steps and this image remind me of these things. It's not supposed to be "easy" - it is supposed to be, and it is, worth it.