Jesus' Path: Difficult but Life-Giving

Paul used the metaphor of running a race to describe our faith (I Corinthians 9:24). There’s a reason sports serve as a good metaphor for faith. Whether you play golf, volleyball, pickleball, or hike, doing something athletic asks us to be focused, be dedicated and disciplined to get better, and stick with it on the days when we want to quit. You don’t have to play sports or watch sports to know the importance of hard work. If you want to get good at anything–baking, gardening, crochet, playing an instrument–you have to give it attention and put in a lot of time to practice your skills. Learning something new isn’t a passive activity. You have to push yourself to grow.

When I moved to Kansas I started attending classes at a Cross-Fit gym. I go early in the morning and there are a lot of days I don’t want to show up. But I do it anyways. I’ve changed my schedule so I can go to bed earlier. I have even given more attention to the foods I eat. From the outside looking in it might not look like a lot of fun. But I love the community I have at the gym. I love the friends I’ve made. I love how I feel and what I can do because of the strength training I’m doing. (At this point I love that I can still pick up and carry my boys and wrestle them to the ground.) I feel more alive because I do something hard.

When I read about the narrow gate in our Scripture passage, I think about actively choosing to do something I value rather than allowing life to bump along. Choosing the narrow gate requires intentionality. Sometimes it can be hard to discern which path to choose. I appreciate that Pastor Adam has showed us what discernment can look like–time in prayer, asking friends to help, thinking about the joys and challenges of choices in front of us. Sometimes we can easily see what leads to life and what isn’t great for us. But sometimes we will have the privilege of choosing between two good things. Good things can be hard, like going to my Cross-Fit gym at 5:15am.

What I’ve been reflecting on is how we feel alive when we’re doing something we’re meant to do. I feel incredible when I deadlift a weight I didn’t think I could lift. I feel a great sense of purpose when I sit with someone who is in hospice. Moving here from Texas didn’t feel that difficult because this is my dream job. I get to wake up every morning and do the ministry I feel like God created me to do. I feel alive and that reminds me that the time I put into my ministry is worth whatever it might “cost” me to continue to learn how to be the best pastor I can be. When do you feel alive, with a sense that you are using your gifts? Is God inviting you onto a path that leads to new life? Who can help encourage you to discern and choose the path that leads to life?