Tuesday, December 06, 2005

The road less traveled

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matthew 7:13-14).

The Greek philosopher Socrates once told this story: "Young Hercules, emerging from boyhood to manhood, is pondering how to shape his life. Two women appear before him, one voluptuous in form and luxurious in dress, the other severe and strict in appearance and clothed in a simple white garment. The name of the one is Pleasure; the name of the other is Virtue. Pleasure promises to lead young Hercules by the shortest road and without any toil to the enjoyment of every pleasure. Virtue beckons him along a path on which he will experience labors and suffering, but where alone he shall find a beautiful and good life worthy of his manhood."

Socrates lived over 2,000 years ago, yet he writes of a human problem that is far older. It is the choice between living for the moment or living for the future, the choice between the desires of the flesh and what is good for the soul, the choice between spending time and money on fleeting pleasures or investing in things that will last eternally. It is the choice between embracing the lure of sin, or seeking the blessings of God.

Jesus compared this choice to a traveler’s decision between two roads—one is wide and well traveled, the other is narrow and less well used. Most people choose the path of least resistance—the road that is wide, easy to navigate, and is crowded with others. But the road of Pleasure, the path that makes excuses for sinning by claiming that God’s laws are out of touch with modern sensibilities, this easy road leads to destruction—to addiction, poverty, broken relationships, and eventually to hell. It is the narrow road that Jesus recommends to us—the road of Virtue which calls for dedication to hard work, dedication to God, and a focus on the heavenly destination instead of the sinful pleasures that seek to distract us. The road of virtue is the more difficult path to walk because it is narrow, and because less people walk it with us—but it is only on this narrow way that our Savior walks with us, offering a steadying arm when we stumble and fall.

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