Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. Matthew 7:13-14
A while back I was having a conversation with one of my children about how difficult it is to live a life that is faithful to God during the times that God does not feel present in our lives. The chi
ld said, “It just seems like a lot of work for a 50/50 chance.” I told him that he had just summarized thousands of years of humanity’s struggle with religion in one simple statement. The fact is that he is absolutely right. Living a life that is good, moral, and ethical is extremely difficult. Almost every day we make decisions that affect ourselves and other people. It is also a fact that no one knows absolutely that there is some eternal reward waiting for them after they die. My answer to my child was that I have found in my life that when I follow the moral and ethical guidelines that I have learned as a Christians, that my life is better that it is during the times when I am less diligent in following these moral and ethical guidelines. The easy way leads to
destruction and the hard way leads to life.
I am thankful that God does not expect is to do it alone. We have a conscious, we have the holy scriptures, we have our faith communities, and we have the Spirit of God to help and encourage us.
God, the Lord, is my strength; he makes my feet like the deer’s; he makes me tread on my high places. Habakkuk 3:19
There are times in my life when it feels like I am fighting the same battles every day. During these times, it can be a struggle just to get out of bed in the morning and energy very hard to find. Stress is a terrible thing which makes it more difficult to do the things we need to do, gives us false justification for skipping exercise and eating badly, and makes us more prone to illness. All of which results in even less energy and more stress. When we get into these negative cycles, it usually takes something bad happening in our lives to break the cycle and bring us to a place where we want to (or have to) take better care of ourselves. However, if we can find a way to look to God, then God will give us the strength to break this negative cycle before something bad happens to us.
Dear God, thank you for giving us strength when we need it the most. The strength that comes from you is abundant and always available when just remember to ask. Give us the strength to do your work in this world. Give us the strength to put others before ourselves. And, give us the strength to overcome the difficult times in our lives.
Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You return man to dust and say, “Return, O children of man!” For a thousand years in your sight are but as yesterday when it is past, or as a watch in the night. Psalms 90:1-4
The need to have a relationship with God is in our DNA. We begin our lives with the desire to explain the things that we do not understand and it doesn’t take us very long to realize that some things cannot be explained. Throughout the history of the human race, our desire has been to understand the mysteries of our existence and the world around us and beyond. Some might say that it is our inability to define or explain the mysteries of the universe that forces us to create a higher power to explain that which we cannot. However, I think that it is our built-in desire to know God that drives us to continually search for knowledge.
I am thankful that God is infinite, that there are no limits to what I can hope for from God. I am thankful for man’s drive to learn. I pray that we would use the knowledge that we gain for the good of humanity – to feed the hungry, to bring water to the thirsty, to give shelter and clothing to the poorest of the poor, and to end war and suffering. Even in the midst of chaos, no hope is too big for an infinite God.
St. John the Lutheran 