I was listening to BYU TV on Sunday and I heard a good talk. I don't remember who the devotional speaker was, but I'm going to somewhat paraphrase what he said. He was talking about the straight and narrow path and how it is usually depicted as being flat and level. But he suggested that it is actually quite mountainous. In other words, there are a lot of ups and downs, a lot of steep inclines, and declines.
I thought this was very interesting because I always pictured the straight and narrow path and holding to the iron rod as being level. Maybe this is because all the pictures I've seen are always level. But I think this devotional speaker had a good point. If we think about life and holding to the rod on the straight and narrow path, if we also have to start climbing a big hill, it makes the great and spacious building even more appealing. It becomes a lot easier to let go of the iron rod and leave the straight and narrow path and head over to the great and spacious building. It seems to me like it is when life starts getting harder, i.e. climbing a hill, that most people falter. When we are struggling to hold to the rod while climbing a steep incline, it is more easy to give up and go join the people mocking us from the great and spacious building.
This is when we have to rely on the Lord, and everything we've been taught, to keep holding to the iron rod and stay on the straight and narrow path. Because eventually we will reach the top of the hill and the straight and narrow path will level out again.
Anyway, I thought this was a great analogy, and a good reminder to stay on the straight and narrow path, no matter how steep it is.
That's my two cents.
That is a good analogy Tam-I never quite thought of it in that way. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteI was never all that fast, but I always took pride in the fact that I was a very strong uphill runner. Loved the hills!
ReplyDeleteGlad to have the iron rod to cling to on the uphill journey of life.