Narrow Minded
Narrow Minded
Have you ever been called narrow minded? I haven’t for awhile, maybe because I hang out with like-minded people. But it has happened and I have immediately become defensive. All sorts of thoughts run through my head. Am I truly narrow minded? Why would anyone think that I am? How dare they think that! Wait, how can I be narrow minded when I’m always right?
I came across a couple verses that I’ve read many times but one word caught my attention – narrow. The verses are Matthew 7:13-14. Jesus is speaking about entering the narrow gate. The road through that gate leads to life. Or a person can go through the wide gate. The road through that gate is broad but it leads to destruction.
Narrow or wide? Life or destruction? I get to choose. Do I trust in Christ and what the Bible says or do I listen to what the world is telling me and do whatever “feels good”? Getting more narrower, do I believe that Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God or do I believe that I don’t need any relationship with God, that I’m good enough on my own, or there are many ways to heaven that I can pick and choose from? The wide road looks like a lot of fun but is it really? What’s really true about it? I know from experience that there’s a lot of heartache down that road. Been there, done that. Not fun.
Narrow isn’t easy but it’s the right road to be on. I have to choose to stay on that road every day and not let anyone’s opinion or action change that. I’m going to smile the next time someone tells me I’m narrow minded because that’s the gate I chose and that’s the road I’m on. I also need to memorize Matthew 7:13-14. Maybe I’ll get a chance to share them with someone who needs to know what gate they’ve gone through and how to get to the right one.
Penny C., First Baptist Church
Have you ever been called narrow minded? I haven’t for awhile, maybe because I hang out with like-minded people. But it has happened and I have immediately become defensive. All sorts of thoughts run through my head. Am I truly narrow minded? Why would anyone think that I am? How dare they think that! Wait, how can I be narrow minded when I’m always right?
I came across a couple verses that I’ve read many times but one word caught my attention – narrow. The verses are Matthew 7:13-14. Jesus is speaking about entering the narrow gate. The road through that gate leads to life. Or a person can go through the wide gate. The road through that gate is broad but it leads to destruction.
Narrow or wide? Life or destruction? I get to choose. Do I trust in Christ and what the Bible says or do I listen to what the world is telling me and do whatever “feels good”? Getting more narrower, do I believe that Jesus is the only way to a relationship with God or do I believe that I don’t need any relationship with God, that I’m good enough on my own, or there are many ways to heaven that I can pick and choose from? The wide road looks like a lot of fun but is it really? What’s really true about it? I know from experience that there’s a lot of heartache down that road. Been there, done that. Not fun.
Narrow isn’t easy but it’s the right road to be on. I have to choose to stay on that road every day and not let anyone’s opinion or action change that. I’m going to smile the next time someone tells me I’m narrow minded because that’s the gate I chose and that’s the road I’m on. I also need to memorize Matthew 7:13-14. Maybe I’ll get a chance to share them with someone who needs to know what gate they’ve gone through and how to get to the right one.
Penny C., First Baptist Church
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1 Comment
Very good and thought provoking. You are right Penny going through the narrow gate can be difficult, but the reward if far greater than the short lived pleasure one gets from the wide road.