Entering Through A Narrow Door

Dear Friends,

Jesus always invites us to the place where he is, but, as he warned his first disciples, the door leading into this holy place is narrow (see Luke 13:24). Jesus explained that "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" (Luke 18:25).

The problem with being rich is that we have too many things in our hands and so much weight on our backs that we become bent over from the burden of it all. Because the door into the holy place is so narrow, we must let go of everything--absolutely everything--in order to slip through.

You may not feel you are rich, but think about it for a moment.
--RELATIONSHIPS. Some of us are rich in relationships, but there is no group ticket into the holy place. We must release our identities as daughters, sons, friends, lovers in order to enter the lonely place of solitude where the Holy Spirit makes us the beloved of Jesus' Father.
--WISDOM. Many of us are rich in wisdom; some in theological knowledge. To enter the holy place, according to St. Paul, we must drop all of our "wisdom" and become "fools" (1 Corinthians 1:27). This is a clear warning to which we must resist trying to add a little sophistication.
--POWER. Some of us are powerful. We must become weak--the strong must become frail.
--SUCCESS. The successful must drop every achievement until we are no greater than those the world regards as failures.
--ANGER & HURT. Some of us are rich in the abundance of anger and hurt that we nurture and continually carry with us. Those who are limping through life will have to let go of anger, hurt, fear, skepticism and sin.
--RIGHTEOUSNESS. Even our righteousness--especially our righteousness--must fall from our hands. None of it will fit through the narrow door.

At last, stripped of everything, we can encounter Jesus and his invitation to come to the holy place where living water is waiting for us. Nothing is holy apart from Jesus.

Why does it cost so much to enter his holy place? Because we cannot see that the place is holy until we see Jesus there. If there is anything in our hands or on our back, it will distract us from seeing our Savior. Once we see the Savior, we will then see that all the things we have dropped are now in his hands, which, of course, is the best place for them to be.

"Nothing in my hands I bring; simply to Your cross I cling."

On the adventure together!

Duff Gorle