How the Narrow Gate shapes our Lives

How the Narrow Gate shapes our Lives

. Matthew 7.13-14

Ah, but there is more to be said about Jesus’ description of the narrow gate and the wide gate. He said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Nothing is more evident in our choices of gates than the decisions we make regarding living for God—or not.

This past week at Harvard Law School I spent many hours with people from all over the world learning about a better way of resolving disputes from some of the best minds in the field. Most of the students were attorneys or judges, but there was a smattering of us from other fields as well. A few nights ago, I had dinner with three of them—one attorney from Canada, another a life/wellness coach from Canada, and the third a clinical psychologist who acts as a negotiator as well from Brussels, Belgium. The conversation was lively in a noisy restaurant at the end of a 12-plus hour day of training, studying, simulations and role playing.

The wellness coach turned to me and asked, ‘Why did you become a pastor?’ A bit later she asked me again, and I did something I rarely do—I deflected the question. Because I wanted to think about my response, and preferred to answer her in a personal way, not yelling over a tabletop to two others as well. As I walked back across Harvard Square, and criss-crossed the streets , I prayed about my answer, and why I felt it so important to give Teresa a thoughtful position.

Why does anyone do what he does? And with regard to vocation, why do I do what I do? Friend, why do you do what you do?

The next day, my new friend and I took a walk at lunchtime, and I gave her my answer. Simply, I do what I do in response to the love of Jesus Christ, and how it has changed, redeemed, and impassioned me to be ever learning more about him. As John said, ‘I love him because he first loved me.’1 That love gave birth to great desire to know God more, dig into the Word of God, and share the truth of his great love with others. I remember the day I prayed that God would expand my territory for him2; yes, I remember it like yesterday. Frankly, I never dreamed he would answer it in the way he has.

How did I get here? I got to this place by walking through each new door God has opened for the last 25 years, trying to be obedient, not always hitting the mark. But the ‘how I got here’ is less important than the ‘why’. God purposed me for a life spent serving him and serving others in the unique ways he has gifted me. It is not just vocation, certainly not duty—it is my joy! Indeed I have found great joy and fulfillment living on and with purpose.

Teresa asked that question of me the other night in earnestness; seems she was terribly betrayed in her 20-year marriage seven years ago, and has been rebuilding her life ever since. She pressed me for my story because she was certain my story would hold something she could grasp ahold of for herself.

Turns out, she was right. Because she asked, I was able to tell her of miraculous answers to prayer, inner peace when it was illogical to have peace in time of trouble, for starters. As we walked past Cambridge Commons, she asked, “What does that look like on a daily basis for you?” ‘The living out of my faith, you mean?’ “Yes.” ‘Well, I start my day with prayer and make choices throughout my day to maintain my connection with God. Honestly, it is the most intimate and important relationship in my life…really!’ “And the pastor thing?” ‘It is what I was meant to do—shepherd, love and teach the people God has placed in my sphere of influence. I can’t compare my calling to anything else in my world, Teresa.’3 She listened intently, seeming to take in every word.

The next day, it was with a head and heart filled with mixed emotions I walked the long hall toward the closing reception in the large law school lobby of massive Wasserstein Hall. Teresa was the first to greet me to say ‘good bye’. As is my bent, I grabbed her hand, stepped to a quiet space and with her permission, prayed for her life, her future, and her quest for meaning—that she would find God. ‘Amen,’ I said, and looked up to find her eyes flooded with tears. It was sweet, authentic, and I think it might have been a Narrow Gate moment.

You and I get these choices throughout our days, to take the wide gate or the narrow gate, and the gate we choose certainly shapes our lives.

Christine

PastorWoman.com