Parameters—guidelines, structure, framework, restrictions, etc. These words often feel negative! I’m thinking about one teacher at my school who is the strictest in the building, for example. For incoming freshmen at the beginning of the year, he is usually the most dreaded and feared teacher. But while his structure/guidelines/restrictions are rigid, they are also extremely unbiased and consistent. So although students sometimes resist them at first, once they get used to them, his classroom becomes a true safe space. It’s predictable, and it’s always under complete control. Students know exactly what they should be doing and what their teacher expects of them. In that kind of environment, students can learn and soar. 

Now imagine the classroom of a teacher who’s just the opposite. Favoritism, chaos, unpredictability, inconsistency and a lack of rules. A free for all, basically! Although that may initially sound fun for some, as a student, you’d walk into that kind of classroom every day just wondering how the class will go. For me personally, I’d step through the door feeling anxious, worried and on edge, uncertain of what might be in store. In that kind of environment, my learning and thriving would be limited, and many students would agree. 

In both of these examples, we could identify one way that was a narrow path and one that was the broad road. My to-do list put me on a narrow path on Labor Day. It reigned me in, and it narrowed the possibilities of how I’d spend my time. For me, if I’d embraced the day without any goals set in place, that would have been a broad road situation. Whatever I ended up doing would’ve been fine because there were no parameters set in place! So I could’ve just sat on the couch eating junk food and binging Netflix all day long, while perhaps there were other tasks that needed to be done. The dishes would’ve been left unwashed, and the laundry would’ve stayed in the dirty hamper. My meal prepping for the week would not have happened, and the book I’m reading would have stayed flat on the table. In this scenario, the narrow path led me toward productivity and satisfaction. And when the day ended, I felt joyful and pleased. 

As for our school example, the strict teacher leads students onto a narrow path. Only the students who choose to abide by his rules find success in his classroom. In the chaotic classroom, on the other hand, anybody could survive on that broad road. Since there are no real expectations to meet, there is also no real way to not meet the expectations. Everybody’s in there—surviving, making it through day to day, not really learning anything, but just therrrrre. 

Parameters—guidelines, structure, framework, restrictions, etc. These words often feel negative, but if you stop and think about it, they provide us with necessary limitations and criterion we need in order to thrive. Jesus talks about this in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. 

“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

From one angle, these wise words could be pointing toward Jesus as the only path to salvation. He is the narrow gate, and He alone leads to eternal life. Stepping back to think about these words from a different perspective, though, they can also teach us that living life “the Jesus way” leads to abundant life here on earth, as well! A life of fullness, joy, purpose, peace, satisfaction and thriving. The narrow path, which invites us to live in obedience to God and His biblical guidelines and commands, can seem restrictive and stifling. It can look (and be) difficult. The narrow path limits us in some ways and boxes us in. Like a to-do list that assigns your time or like a teacher who requires perfectly correct spelling and capitalization, it requires concerted effort.

The broad road, however, doesn’t require much at all. …which is why it’s the way of choice for so many people. If you’re walking the broad road, you’re not stressed about regular church attendance, God-honoring language, or loving those unloveable people in your life. On the broad road, you’re not concerned with reading your Bible every day, and you’re definitely not worried about taking that extra step to join a small group at your church. 

But you know what? The broad road might be easy, but other than that in-the-moment autonomy and simplicity, there isn’t much of a payoff. When you’re not pursuing the parameters God lovingly sets in place, then you’re also not actively moving toward His peace, abundance, blessing, honor, favor, joy and fullness. Many times in the Bible, God says that He blesses those who walk in obedience. 

Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him. -Psalm 128:1

From what I can tell, obedience involves pursuing the narrow path. God knows we will make mistakes along the way, but I challenge you today to set your feet firmly upon the narrow path. Embrace the limitations and guidelines God has lovingly put in place for you. Are there some restrictions the Holy Spirit is nudging you to establish in your daily, weekly or monthly routine? Rather than seeing those restrictions as confining, trust that they will be life-giving. Ask God to show you any areas of your life where you’re walking the broad path. Bottom line, remember that the broad road leads to destruction, and the narrow path leads to life. …not just eternal life, but KINGDOM LIFE right here, right now, for you.