213 – Narrow, Then Steeper

October 3, 1986

It was so easy to follow You when I was a new Christian. Walking on the narrow road was such a blessed experience in comparison to the wide and wicked one I had been trodding. For a time, I felt so loved, almost pampered, by You. Seeking You had few distractions. I was set determinedly to please You, know You, and be abandoned to Your will.

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14

But the way, 12 years later, has become much steeper. Each day is an Everest. I am so emotional and impatient with myself, I have been saying—“could this be the way? Surely my Lord could not expect this of His darling daughter.”

The circumstances seem to be beyond my ability to cope. The self-control needed becomes so painful to exert. Gently, I am praying—let me act gently, lovingly with my sons, my husband, and my friends. Make my feet like *hinds’ feet for these high places. Give me opportunity and the heart for prayer time with You. My Lord and My God. Thy Will Be Done.

*referring to Hinds’ Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard–an allegory about Much Afraid on her journey through the Christian life with its perils, challenges and trials. The way is sometimes treacherous but she is transformed as she pursues her goal to know Him and to reach the High Places of Faith. I could identify with her timidity and tentativeness.