Radiate: 14 Devotions to Reflect the Heart of JesusSample

The Narrow Way

The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as he has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. DEUTERONOMY 28:9 ESV

There’s a path we tend to travel down—it’s the one we have grown accustomed to. The one of least resistance. We don’t even mean to choose it; it’s just what we have always chosen.

Our habits and tendencies are based on the truth we’ve rehearsed in our heads. We find ourselves reacting in automation, making us robotic instead of responsive. Because we know the turns of this path, we set out for it, pack our desired lunch, and move ahead, looking forward to the view that we know lies before us—that is, until we realize that the road ahead becomes stagnant and easy. Our growth and strength are no longer required to walk this path, so we begin to desire a new way.

But we also know this new path will require much processing before pleasure. It will force us to pull out some tools that have gotten rusty and put our hands in the dirt. The rain has fallen on the roots in this space, and they’ve anchored themselves deep into the soil of our lives. And as much as we would like to avoid the hard stuff, we also know it’s the heart stuff. The hard place to get our heart healthy. The path with great resistance will yield a strong soul. It will produce the fruit that makes for a life worth living.

But as we show up in this new space, afraid it will be too much, we stop worrying about the rich view and we commit to the process of where we stand. It may not seem beautiful at first glance, but it ushers in a dependence, a breaking, an honesty that we weren’t experiencing along our familiar ways. We feel the sweat drip down our faces and hit the soil, and we hear our heavenly Father speak over us, “I see you and I’m proud. Stay the course.”

Life. We get to make the decision over and over again—will we choose what is already available and close or will we choose the riches only found by digging in the dirt? Will we be brave? We decide every day, in many capacities and in many ways. And the more that we pick the hard but the healthy and the holy, the more we understand that DEEP joy is often the result of difficulty + dependence. Leaning in, listening intently, and learning about the differences between heaven and earth and how we live in the in-between. Radiating from Jesus is the light that is worth sifting through all the darkness.

Hey Jesus, thank You for Your patience with my heart. When comfort is tempting, realign me with truth. Help me desire the narrow way and live my life according to Your Word. In Jesus’ name, amen.