Today’s Reading: Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)
13 “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it.”
John 10:9a (NIV)
9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.
Good day!
I had a dream last night. I think it lasted maybe thirty seconds, but I can see it just as clearly today as I did when the images first crossed my mind. In this dream, there was nothing but darkness, with the exception of one bright light shining through the slats of a tiny gate. It resembled the size of a small mouse hole, and I got down on my hands and knees to see if I could tell what was on the other side. Immediately, I was reminded of a family film that our children enjoyed watching at home, entitled “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids!” Do you remember how Dad’s crazy human dehydrating machine managed to shrink his children down to bite size morsels for the family’s pet hamster?
As I knelt there, wondering how I would ever get through such a small space, I heard the voice of my Savior say, “Come.” My first inclination was to cry out, “I can’t Lord! It is way too small a space for me to squeeze through.” Yet, I know the Lord has the power to melt my heart down to size, shrinking me to fit, so that I might walk narrow paths and enter through that gate. Nothing is impossible with my God.
Last night, one of my precious pastors left this world for the Promised Land. He was, by far, the happiest guy I’ve ever met. His smile could instantly light up a room, and oh, how he loved to tell his jokes! I can only imagine the delight His soul must have felt as he took his last steps on the narrow path that leads from this world into life eternal. I could see him there, sitting with Jesus, telling jokes together and modeling the colorful socks he wore every Sunday morning to church. This man’s heart was filled with love for his family, friends, and the Lord whom he served faithfully every day of his life. The gate is narrow, but Moe got through, because he knew the gatekeeper well.
Knowing the gatekeeper makes all the difference if you’re longing to pass through to the other side. I look forward to that glorious day when Christ will shrink-wrap my heart down to perfect size, so that I might fit through the narrow gate and run full-speed into the arms of my Savior forever.
Grace and peace,
Deb Spaulding
Faith UMC -
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