The Narrow Gate

The little boy reaches for the homemade gate blocking the stairs. He knows it's off limits. But the temptation is there.

"Maybe Grandma won't notice if I reach sideways and keep my eyes focused straight ahead," he thinks.

"Oops! Busted again. I guess she really meant it," thinks Braden, my sister's grandson, turning to leave the scene of the "crime." (I'm sure my granddaughter, Kinley, will have similar moments when she's a bit older!)

Our family has had three new babies in the past 18 months. This influx of little ones has been a reawakening into the world of babies and toddlers and how their little minds work. Remember playing peekaboo with a toddler? If they have their eyes covered, they think they're invisible.

But are we adults really so different? We know the differences between right and wrong. We can't blame a childlike mind. But we are sometimes like Braden, looking over our shoulder to see if anyone is watching as we "touch the gate."

The Bible has something to say about gates, too.

A gate at a Tennessee cemetery

The Narrow and Wide Gates

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

Matthew 7: 13-14, New International Version

Several years ago, Christian singer Sandi Patty recorded a song, Little Narrow Gate, based on the Matthew 7 passage.



It says in part:

There's a little narrow gate
At the top of a hill
And it beckons my heart to enter in
And follow where it will ...

With the wind at my back
The journey before me
I set my feet on the road that leads to life
And take the hand of the One
Who'll be my companion
For He will show me the place to begin.

The Holy Spirit can guide and direct our feet on this sometimes difficult and rocky path we call life. The Bible gives us a road map. Thanks be to God!

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It's a constant battle to make good decisions when it comes to our diets, too. (Or it is for me!) This Spinach Salad with Squash recipe is full of flavor and nutrition. If you want to turn it into a main dish salad, simply add a grilled chicken breast, slices of grilled steak or a salmon filet. Yummy!

And here's a main dish, Southwest Beef & Bell Pepper Skillet, packed with peppers, beef and rice. Enjoy!