One Narrow, Specific Way

While working the satellite office for early voting a couple of weeks ago, one of my team members discovered an old-fashioned pencil sharpener bolted to the wall behind the door.

This led to an exchange about different kinds of pencil sharpeners we had seen over the years. One such sharpener was one like my mother had when I was growing up.

This sharpener had a suction cup-like bottom with a small arm that would secure the sharpener's suction cup to whatever surface it was placed on.

We all remembered this kind of sharpener, and I asked if anyone had the one with multiple inserts for different size pencils.

My mom's sharpener had a dial with several (probably around eight) different size holes cut into it where you could turn the dial and sharpen a pencil of any size. Many only had two slots.

But most memorable was how you had to empty this sharpener.

The pencil shavings fell into a big canister that sat around the actual sharpening mechanism which made emptying it difficult. One wrong move, pencil shavings went all over the floor!

You had to be very careful to twist the canister off without hitting the sharpening mechanism. To hold the canister just right so that the shavings would not spill out.

I can only imagine what we looked like while trying to empty it.

Life is not much different. Many people haphazardly go through life ripping things open and spilling out life's contents all over the floor.

They get hurried. They get frustrated. They get frazzled. They want to do things their own way. They believe there are multiple ways to do things, and sometimes there are. And sometimes there are not. But regardless, they want to do it their way.

The Bible tells us in Matthew 7:13-14, “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.”

Just like the way to empty that old pencil sharpener, there is one way to eternal life (and life to the fullest). It is through Jesus only. There is no other way. It doesn't mean it won't be difficult or that the frustrations will disappear. It does mean that Jesus will guide us and lead us through it all. Every step of the way.

So next time you are tempted to rip off the shavings canister, pause and remember the narrow way of Jesus Christ leads to life (and definitely less mess).

Anyway, I was just thinking...

P.S. For another way to hear this verse illustrated check out this clip from the Kendrick Brothers' film Facing The Giants.