OPEN-MINDED NARROWNESS

To be open-minded would seem to oppose narrowness.  Open.  Narrow.  Shall the two meet?  And...both survive?

With God, yes.

The narrow road (the way) can be many things to many people.  It might be a set of beliefs or a series of steps or, yet, a determined theological stance embedded with a conviction to never budge.

My thought today is that the narrow is Jesus; the Person.  He is the narrow way, truth, and life.  As is said in the text of Mt. 7:14 the way is narrow that leads to life.  No other name gives life.  That surely narrows the field, wouldn't you say?

Sharon Hersh makes two very interesting notes which apply to this discussion.  First she points us to Isa. 2:8, (their land is full of idols), by stating that's what addiction really is---it is worship. 

The wide path is an ultimate path of worship of items, thoughts, and people.  This trail is an endless maze of personal and habitual desire for satisfaction; what makes one happy.  Much of church is still not based upon the Word of God; but upon our addictions as to what we want.

And then Ms. Hersh claims, addiction is from the Latin word "addictus", which means "to surrender to the gods".  Addiction will cause the worship of many things; alcohol, pornography, church music preferences, or insisting your preacher has a certain delivery style, etc.  Oh, we have many wide varieties of preferences that lead us to bow down to their demanding calls.

One can be on either side of the music preference aisle....with strong conviction.  Others have their sometimes inflamed concepts regarding the women's role....again on either side.  And yet others become attentively obsessed with root words in the Greek language.  All serve merely as gods if the heart does not Alpha and Omega the person of Jesus. 

The religious world is full of obnoxious noise from small congregation to university finals; all a chatter about many things that mean nothing---nothing at all---if Jesus is not The One Narrow path which will open our minds to an entirely new array of legitimate and meaningful attention.

Jesus is to be The One.  He is to be the Only One.  He is the narrow way.  And when we conclude him as our Friend/Brother/Lord our minds open to life and wonder and possibility and joy.  Open-minded narrowness is not only what the whole world needs. 

At some point it is what every person who has ever lived wants.

(I hope you don't mind, but I have to Amen God this morning for giving me this idea.  I really like it!)