Taking the road less travelled

We avoid Jesus’ narrow path because we believe we will have to deny our yearnings and surrender all our dreams, reckons Rich Villodas.

As profound as Jesus is, I love his simplicity. There are two paths to take: the narrow path or the broad one.

The narrow path is the cruciform way of Jesus that leads to renewal and healing. Naturally, believers are interested in the ‘road that leads to life,’ so what holds us back?

If we’re honest, it’s the cost. As GK Chesterton wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

We’re afraid following Jesus will summon us to a new way of life we don’t prefer or can’t sustain.

We keep Jesus at a ‘safe’ distance because we assume following him leads to a joyless, confined existence of repressing our desires and taking on a mechanical, religious persona.

We avoid Jesus’s narrow path because we believe we will have to deny our yearning for sexual intimacy, surrender all our dreams and go to multiple church services a week.

We’re afraid of what others will think if we really follow Jesus. We don’t want to be religious fanatics.

We avoid the narrow path because it requires facing ourselves – looking in the mirror with honesty and vulnerability.

I’ve wondered these things too.

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