Devotionals

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Going Mach 1

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Matthew 7:13-14

In Breckenridge, Colorado, there are many paths down the mountain. Some are wide and easy (such as the slope between two greens where I myself got hurt), and some are narrow and difficult. Once you’re off the lift and ready to ski down, you must choose your path -- any will get you down the mountain, but the choice depends on your ability and your daringness. During a recent ski trip to Colorado, my friend found himself alone. He waited at the bottom of the slope where he thought others of our group would come down, but after 15 minutes, his wait was in vain. Going on alone, he took the lift and found himself looking straight down at a black diamond slope called the Mach 1. Being an adept skier, he chose to go out of the blue and into the black and found himself skiing a very difficult area of the mountain. The way was narrow…there was almost no room to maneuver his skis in the parallel motions. The way was difficult… surrounded by trees on both sides, leaving little room for escape, and the escape routes being dead ends with no way out. The way was long…and it seemed longer since he had been skiing all day and was a little worn out. But he trusted in his ability and in the fact that others had gone before him, and he made his way down the mountain. It definitely wasn’t easy, but the exhilaration of conquering the Mach 1 made it worthwhile.
The is the perfect metaphor for our path in life as single Christians. Sometimes we find ourselves alone, and no amount of waiting for others to come and join us seems to be fruitful. The feeling of being alone leads to frustration and temptation to take the easy way out. However, to have an abundant life in Christ means taking the narrow way. On that path, sometimes it is hard to maneuver because the way is so narrow. No matter which direction we turn, an obstacle jumps up in our way, and our speed into the abyss of the lonely unknown seems even faster than Mach 1. On top of that, Satan (being the prince of this world) compounds the difficulty with dangers and temptations which line up on all sides. We are bombarded with side paths into the trees that can confuse us and lead to dead ends from which there is no escape. Fortunately, we have the reassurance that there IS escape from these dangers. In John 10:9-10, Jesus states, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” If we follow the narrow path and trust Christ, then the abundant life is ours! We will have conquered the mountain!! Mach 1 will seem as easy as 55mph, and the triumph will be ours!!
Just as Doug faced a choice as he found himself alone and looked down the narrow path to the bottom of the mountain, we each face the choice of which path to take. Do we choose the easy and wide path (where dangers still lie, as I proved on my second run of the first day), or do we choose the narrow and difficult path, where exhilaration and triumph await at the end because of the assurance of Christ? The choice is yours…

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