Narrow road

The CEO has been so gracious with my dullness, so patient, but relentless in exposing my wrongs. I remember many years ago, coming under the sudden realization that I was not who I thought I was. When reading the Lover's Manual (aka the Bible) I had always pictured myself on the side of the disciples, or if they were in the wrong, on the side of Jesus. Then I came to the shocking conclusion as I was studying in a class that I had more in common with the pharisees or teachers of the law than I did with the followers of Christ. I grew up in religion, studied it, lived "right" (ie. went to the club everytime the door opened and didn't drink, smoke, party, dance, cuss or socialize with those who drank, smoked, cussed, partied, danced...) I always thought the narrow road was a path with the ditches being all the things we weren't supposed to do, but then I realized that a more accurate way of seeing it is with one ditch being living in the flesh sin (not neccessarily the list I made which was totally biased by my religious upbringing) and the other ditch is not more of the same, but living in the flesh of religion (pride, know-it-all, self-righteousness, looking down on others...) It seems that the minute I overcome a fault like lying for example, I can fall down the other ditch due to my pride of not being a liar anymore.

So what does living on the road look like? I think it is not at all what I used to think. The Lover said they will know we are Christians by our love. It strikes me that it doesn't say they will know we are Christians by our: language, dress, social associations, attendance to a club, by our quoting or carrying around the scriptures, by our bumper stickers or t-shirts or religiosity or efforts to evangelize, but by our love.

My friend said that she is just trying to love God and love others, that she has enough trouble getting those right, and so there is no use spending time worrying about all the rest while those two remain.

I think the road is more humble than I'd ever imagined, more sacrificial, more simple, more compassionate and more filled with life, joy and fulfillment than I have ever known.