Straight and Wide

“Make straight the way of the Lord.” John 1:23

As we prepare to enter the final week of Advent, I like to take a look at all the characters in the journey and the story of Jesus; I like to think about what they add to the story of Jesus and our salvation.  One of my absolute favorites during Advent is John the Baptist.  He was so bold, so unconcerned with the opinion of the world and so devoted to the task of getting to heaven. I guess you could say he inspires me with both his attitude and his words.

I remember a stage in my early teenage years when my bedroom frequently looked as if there had been an explosion of some sort, and it drove my mom nuts! One Saturday morning I “cleaned” my room and did not meet her standards. I had cleared a straight path from my bed to the door and quoted a version of these very words from John's Gospel and showed her how I had clearly made “a straight way for the Lord”. She assured me he was going to need a much wider path.

My moms assurance is true today! I realize I don’t always make the path to my heart straight or wide. I need to give God room to come into my heart and do His mighty works of mercy. I have all kinds of things in the way that make His way tricky to maneuver. I make Him wind His way around jealousy and pride and selfishness. The path hooks to the left when I toss in impatience and judgmental thinking. The way really goes sideways when control, bitterness and gossip get tossed into the mix.

Making straight the way of the Lord means keeping my eyes on Him. When my eyes are on Him and I’m preparing for Him to work in my life, I discover I’m moving in a straight and forward direction. He is the guide that straightens my way every time I re-adjust my focus on His way and not my own.

A Seed To Plant:  What blocks or kinks the path between Jesus and your heart? Spend some time in prayer asking the Lord to straighten and widen the way to His love and mercy.​

Blessings on your day!