The Way is Hard

Matthew 7:14b The way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Every Wednesday morning I am privileged to meet with the most extraordinary group of women.

• Carolyn is the mother of a special boy whose body came with unique challenges. With his packaging, come weeks filled with problems that seem about four sizes too big for her shoes. How can God ask so much of His servants?


• Kristi has her house on the market. She has already received two offers that unexpectedly fell through. Even though she now has a third, it's impossible to relax and rejoice. Why can it be so difficult to discern God's will?


• Michelle has four children six and under. This week her second youngest, Grace, pulled a pot of boiling rice off the stove and onto herself. She's now covered with second degree burns. When does parenting get any easier?

Through the seasons of my life I have asked each of these questions myself. I have learned by experience that the way is hard.

Today I am reading Matthew 7. As Jesus concludes the Sermon on the Mount, he covers topics from the danger of judging others and the importance of treating others the way we ourselves wish to be treated. Smack dab in the middle of this passage Jesus exhorts that "the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Verse 14)

Surely Jesus wouldn't just leave me hopeless with this pronouncement. Where is the good news in the gospel? Thankfully, Jesus also gives His followers two strongholds to which we can cling during difficult days.

1. The Power of Prayer (Verses 7-11) - All you have to do is ask. It sounds so easy. It is. Help is just one conversation away.


2. The Promise of Preservation (Verses 24-27) - Rain falls on every roof. It is the home whose hearts are turned to Jesus that find preservation through the storms of life. The winds blow and the storms may rage but Jesus' presence with the believer makes him able to stand.

Each Wednesday the women I congregate with inspire me. More importantly they walk with me through the storms of life. They strengthen me with their prayers. They encourage me with their presence. Those "few" make my way less hard.

Jesus, thank you for the gift of godly friendship. You have granted me the precious opportunity to walk through the seasons of my life with other women. Though all my questions may not be answered, my problems certainly seem more manageable when shared with women whose heart's beat for You. Today I will walk beside them with the gift of my prayers and my presence. Together we will persevere.