When I hear that the road that leads to life is narrow and constricted, that makes me a bit uneasy. The reason for that is I am a lousy packer. I pretty much always over-pack, not being able to shake the worry of not having something I might need. What if the weather is cold? I’ll need some warm clothes. If it’s hot, I sure won’t want those warm clothes then, so I’ll need something light. Better take along some Tylenol in case I get a headache, and well, the list goes on. I just hate packing to go on a trip, because I always imagine what I pack will take up less space than it does.
I think that can be true of us on our spiritual journeys as well. We want to fill up every silence we have. Better take our iPods, a book in case we’re bored, the laptop so we’ll be able to get our email, our cell phones, and who knows what else. Heaven forbid we should let the silence be silent so that our God can speak to us. I’m every bit as guilty of over-packing in that way too.
But God doesn’t want our iPods or laptops or cell phones. God just wants us. He wants us to give him ourselves completely. Sure, there’s an easier way to go, unfortunately that particular way leads to destruction. But if we give up what holds us back, then travelling that narrow road to life won’t be so hard.
What do we need to unpack from our lives today?