The Right, The Left, and The Narrow Road

Isaiah 30:21, “And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left.

I have found the following statement to be an abrasive-fall-on-my-already-scraped-knees raw truth in every area of my life: Even when I am right, I am wrong. I am convinced that the sooner we accept this in every facet of our lives, both individually, in marriages, in family, and as a nation, the more freedom we will experience.

God has designed it this way so that the Gospel message is not garbled. We are either prideful or we are humble. There is no in between. The right is full of pride and the left is full or pride. Even though one line of thought may hold more substance than the other, at the end of the day, it is still wrong if it is contaminated with a self-righteous stench.

There seems to be no room for opinions, agendas, or egos at the cross. It is the narrow way. It is the only way to life and life more abundantly. Now PLEASE don’t get me wrong. I am a staunch believer of knowing what you believe and why you believe it with absolute ZERO compromise. As an INFP idealist personality---there is no meaning in life if your external fruit does not reflect your internal roots. I am not suggesting a watered-down middle road which is no road at all.

What I am suggesting is a third road which first requires a death to self. A death to the spirit of pride. A death to the spirit of offense. A death to self-righteousness. If you are a self-proclaimed Christian, you must first and foremost remember your own death. You have died! Galatians 2:20 says, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by the faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Are we responding to others we disagree with by faith in Jesus or faith in our flesh? How long will we trample one another with the metal stilts of our lilting opinions when we should be leaning in with a listening ear? If the wound behind the wrong is not healed, then the wrong will never fully be revealed.  What would our marriages look like if we listened with whole-hearted compassion and empathy and only opened our mouths to heal and edify? A true demonstration of care must precede any kind of real communication.  

Kingdoms will clash. The kingdom of this world is at enmity with the kingdom of God. Do not let the clashing kingdoms turn you into a clanging cymbal. Love is the only leader.

Any time we open our mouths to judge, hidden pride oozes from our festered hearts, and we have opened ourselves up to judgment. If we spent more time in self-examination, there would be far less cross-examination and much more appreciation for our heavenly pardon. May we be keenly aware of our daily desperate need for grace and lavish the grace we have so freely received on others.  May we walk the freshly sodded, rarely trodden narrow road, the only road which leads to life.