More About the Strait and Narrow

 

Susan Easton Black writes that in ancient times the narrow path, or the less traveled path was the safer way for one who was journeying alone.  Often the broad ways which were taken by caravans and large companies of travelers were seedbeds of peril as bandits and robbers concealed themselves along the way to plunder. 

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.


Matthew 7:13/14

For me, I see another analogy to the strait and narrow.  The archaic meaning of "strait" is "a route or channel, so narrow as to make passage difficult."  The Savior told Nicodemus that he must be born again into a spiritual life in order to obtain eternal life.   Our physical birth becomes a type of our spiritual birth.  (Think also of Lehi's dream)  We are in a darkened environment.  For a time we can grow there but eventually to progress further we must travel through the birth canal or a strait and narrow way.  This exit takes courage.  It is uncomfortable.  The constriction is even painful at times.  To choose not to go will eventually lead to death.  We then burst forth into a greater light and a new life with increased potential.  The strait and narrow path becomes the journey we must make.  It provides us with the boundaries we need to guide us into a new birth, a new life.  The Savior describes himself as the Father of this new birth.  The church becomes the mother of our spiritual birth (after all the church is described as the Savior's bride)  and provides the nourishment and the structure we need through teaching, through ordinances and covenants, through fellowshipping and service.  The atonement of Christ gives brings life to the structure of the church.  The structure alone can’t do it.   Just believing in grace or the atonement alone can’t do it.  We need both to effect a birth.

More About Rivers....

Rivers have boundaries.  Banks guide the direction of the flowing water.  Because of borders the water can be taken to multiple places and in doing so the river provides sustenance to living entities along the way.  When banks are removed or breached, the waters flood the surrounding areas and instead of giving life they cause destruction or stagnation.  The surrounding lands are swamped and useless.  Heavenly Father has given us a strait and narrow, a rod of iron, commandments – boundaries so that we can become life giving waters.  (Above photo is entitled "Resurrection River."  Nice.)

We Are Rivers....

I have been reading M. Catherine Thomas’ Light in the Wilderness.  I won’t go into how much I love her writings and how they inspire me (They do!:)   She writes of many things, one being how negative experiences, thoughts, energy and our acceptance of them and unwillingness to let them go and function on a higher plane impedes our progress.  I was thinking about individuals in my life who seem to have negative energy in certain areas and seem to be blind or choose to be blind about certain things, but in other areas they do much good and contribute and have a loving spirit with them.  This really applies to all of us to some degree.  I began to see this concept in imagery.  Our lives are rivers of light, growth, progress.  Negative experiences and thoughts whether originating in ourselves or others, if we hold on to them, become like rocks and boulders thrown into the river.  They cause turbulence and make our journey rougher and more difficult.  If too many obstacles accumulate they dam our progress in that area and the turmoil can spill over into other parts of life.  We can allow our rivers to become more and more dammed (the adversary of our souls is always willing and ready to block the way) or we can use the grace and atonement of the Savior to remove the rocks, the boulders, the splintered branches that snag debris and retain it in our souls.  The teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ, (forgiveness, long-suffering, repentance, humility) if we adhere to them and practice them with real intent, clear the way.  If we desire it fully enough, the river truly can run peaceful and clear.   

When we are honest with ourselves we see that at times we don’t want to remove the boulders and debris.  We have become comfortable with them and we leave them there because they serve a purpose of self-deception.  They allow us to blame others for our unwillingness to change and repent ourselves.  There lays within us a reluctance to let go of grievances, offenses, hurts, disappointments for to do so would require that we ourselves have to step up to a higher plane.  Our uncomfortable but familiar little dams in the river (though they cause pain and distress) give us excuses for our own unwillingness to progress.  They conveniently disguise our own weaknesses and faults by pointing a finger at circumstance brought on by the choices of others.  

Having said that, I recognize that all of this is the purpose of life.  We are here to learn by experience to know the good from the evil, the productive from the non-productive, joy from misery.  It's all a journey and we are all in it together.  

"Keep" the Commandments!

 

What does it mean to “keep” the commandments?  If we keep something we retain it in our possession.  We consider it of value and useful enough not to throw it away.  If we truly value something it becomes a “keepsake.”  If we can view the commandments as one of our most prized possessions and place them in a position of honor in our lives how blessed we would be!

                 

What does it mean to “break” the commandments?  We can break things in our lives either by ignorance, carelessly neglect or through direct action usually with negative energy such as anger or frustration.  When we break something it loses its usefulness to us unless it is sufficiently repaired.   We sever our relationship to the item or situation.  Breaking a possession often times leads to throwing it away.  Breaking the commandments (as opposed to keeping them) makes it difficult to value the gospel from whence they come and Giver who has offered them to us.  

The same line of thought applies to keeping or breaking the Sabbath, keeping or breaking our covenants.

How gentle God’s commands,
How kind His precepts are!
Come, cast your burdens on the Lord,
And trust His constant care.

Mountains

     Sometimes the Lord removes figurative mountains that impede our way and sometimes the mountain is a gift.  Our struggle against the mountain becomes our source of growth.  Without the mountain we would remain in our weakened natural- man state with insufficient and flabby spiritual muscles.  Oh, how we despair at the thought of the mountain!  Oh, how we resist taking the steps upward!  But the mountain draws us to the Lord, eventually, as we find our own abilities to summit its peak are paltry and weak.  Finally, we call upon the Lord sufficiently to receive his grace and power unto ourselves.  At times we struggle for what seems a never ending length of time and then the Lord says “It is enough,” and He removes the insurmountable mountain in an instant.  The struggle is over much to our amazement.  The pathway has been cleared and we move forward.
     I've tangled with a few rather large mountains the past few years.  Actually, it seems that life for everyone is really is a series of mountains, at times one right after another and other times interspersed with gentler slopes. I always stand with amazement when a mountain has been removed.  I am overcome with relief.  I am so thankful that it is finished - yet I am unspeakably grateful for what I have learned and gained.  I wouldn't ask for it back but neither would I choose to do without the package deal. 

Obedience

I’ve always been aware of the importance of obedience but when you are younger you are more susceptible to the rationalization that you can “have it both ways.”  This morning I was reading in M. Catherine Thomas’ new book, Light in the Wilderness, and the idea of obedience to God’s laws crystallized before my mind’s eye.  Of course, I’ve seen this before and thought of it many times over the years but my warring youth-self is more subdued now and many of the intrigues of the world don’t matter anymore.  I’ve always had a desire to be obedient.  I have never had a rebellious temperament.  I have always had an innate love of God’s laws, but the world holds out its lures, distractions and appeals to youth.  I was certainly aware in my youth that there was a higher way to live and I tried to live in that way but there is a cultural saturation that is hard to escape when you are younger (and older!).  More and more I understand by experience and the vision is crystallizing how God’s commandments are so important.  They are the fastest path for personal growth.  They keep us out of the mire.  We can attain further light and knowledge through obedience with exactness (which means we must also study so we know what to obey).  Heavenly Father has outlined laws of maximum physical and spiritual health and well-being.  Our flesh can be such a drag to our progress.  Our flesh can keep us stagnant.  If we really can throw off the natural man and decided to do it the Lord’s way we will have so much more joy in life and we will spend much less time in the mire.  I do believe though that through the goodness of God and with the Savior’s ability to make all thing right that we are taught while we are in the mire.  It’s the alternative school – we can grow through obedience or learn by experience.   A presenter at ED week last summer (can’t remember his name and don’t want to go look up my notes) proposed that hell was simply Heavenly Father’s continued school for those who didn’t get it while here upon the earth.  Same idea.  

If we can just obey! 

Retire and rise early that your mind and body will be invigorated!  (Why do I insist on being a night person?)

Follow the Word of Wisdom for FREEDOM from addictions, physical health and to receive great treasures of hidden knowledge!  What’s our problem here? 

            Forgive others for greater emotional health.

            Feed your spirit daily otherwise how can it be healthy?

            Don’t partake of junk food spiritually or physically.

Do not waste the days of your probation – after all you only have one life.  Why would you spend a third of it staring at a small (or large) box for whatever reason. 

             Love is a happier solution than hate.

All of this is so obvious yet we continue in our various forms of disobedience.  We are told over and over where to find happiness yet obedience is such a struggle for us.  I am grateful, so grateful that we have this time of suspended judgment to learn from our own mistakes and disobedience.  It’s just that the faster we learn the more we will understand eternal things and the heavenly make-up.  I think if we can do more of that here, when we leave this life we can hit the ground running in the next.  We won’t have to spend so much time rectifying our outlook or inaction in eternal matters.

Joy...

There is much joy to be had in this life but there is little joy to be had in "the world."  All of the glitz and glamor of that artificial Babylon can be a siren song luring us with promised illusions of perfection:  "If only I can follow the siren song with enough diligence, I will 'arrive.'"  Somehow another siren appears and we never can quite "get there."

Temporal pursuits are necessary.  We come here to learn how to control the physical elements and we live in a mortal world where we must provide for ourselves and others.  Plus, Heavenly Father has given us pleasure in our earthly journey:  

16 Verily I say, that inasmuch as ye do this, the fullness of the earth is yours, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, and that which climbeth upon the trees and walketh upon the earth;

17 Yea, and the herb, and the good things which come of the earth, whether for food or for raiment, or for houses, or for barns, or for orchards, or for gardens, or for vineyards;

18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart;

19 Yea, for food and for raiment, for taste and for smell, to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.

20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to excess, neither by extortion.  (Doctrine and Covenants | Section 59:16 – 20)

I don’t believe we are to live the life of an ascetic.  Heavenly Father blesses us with the good things of the earth.  The key is using them with judgment, nor to excess nor by extortion.  Satan on the other had would shove us into excesses (addictions) where getting becomes so obsessive that we have not time to be about eternal things.  And, is it extortion when we use more of our resources on our own pleasures than is needful especially when our brothers and sisters around us suffer?  When we place our value in every changing fashion and trend, we are looking for fulfillment and joy where it can never be found.  We simply become a marketing tool, free advertisement, a carbon copy of everyone else.  I often find it amazing that Satan promotes the cry of “do your own thing” by having everyone march to his drumbeat. 

Back to joy.  True joy is found in the gifts of God – relationships, commandments, the beauties of the earth, growth and development, things that increase and last.  Also, there is a role that balance has to play in living a life of joy.  My cousins from Idaho Falls, sent me a little book by Lance Richardson entitled The Message after my mother’s death.  It is a simple account of his near death experience.  They knew him and his parents.  He grew up on their street.  They wanted to share his book as a comfort.  Bro. Richardson said that in the spirit world there is a balance between three main activities.  I don’t think this necessarily applies to all in the spirit world (for example those in spirit prison) but he said that the spirits he associated with spent about 1/3 of their time searching out their ancestors and teaching them the gospel, 1/3 of their time working with their loved ones on the earth trying to assist them and influence them for good and 1/3 learning, visiting, enjoying each others company, celebrating, recreating etc.  I loved the balance in that idea.  It’s a beautiful formula and I think it can be applied in some way to our earth life.