Is This The Easy Road?

“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart and do not lean on your own understanding, but in all of your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” -Proverbs 3:5-6

These verses are some of the main scriptures that have, and continue to, form my life into the life of Christ. This verse is not just a refrigerator magnet or a bumper sticker for me. With all my might, I come back to this scripture to realign myself to the heart of God. Prayers have been soaked in both tears of joy and grief with this verse. It has met me and kissed my lips when I lost my father… held my hand when I have made a mess of things within relationships… whispered to my heart when I have had no direction forward… it has been the light when I have come to a crossroads of being at the mercy of other people’s decisions to dictate my next move… and when I have sat in the aftermath of the rubble from accusation, betrayal, and persecution, this scripture has been my closest companion. It has brought the light of hope back when I wrongly assumed that the wick had been put out.

When I began writing this blog about 7-8ish years ago, I was new at following Jesus. I had a ton of unction and zeal and it was like the world was in color for the first time. That world is still full of color, however, I have a greater awareness of the lure to feel delusional and to regress back into one-dimensional thinking. You actually know this kind of thinking whether you realize it or not— the thoughts and ways of culture that may appear on the surface of being multi-directional, enlightened, “woke”, etc. Yet, in the end, this type of thinking will betray you because it all leads to more bondage, fear, control, and even a sense of power that leaves a person believing they have finally found truth.

Romans 12:2 gives the believer a way out by instructing: “Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

For anyone who is sitting in the dark in this season of their life, you may be acknowledging that He really is God. You have been brought to a sort of landing like Job, “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I despise myself and I repent in dust and ashes!” You have come to a place where the squirming to get out of your circumstances has ceased. He has sifted all that is precious and valuable to you and your heart is surrendered…still. Perhaps after all of this, you are genuinely asking the Lord this question: “Your Word says to acknowledge You (to really know You) and I am trying to do so… but why does every path not feel or appear straight?”

Here is my encouragement to you, friend: Straight does not mean easy… it means right.

With a sincere heart, I must also tell you that when it comes to following Jesus, His ways go against the flow of culture. The “American way” is not the way of Jesus. There may be aspects and values that are the same. But believe it or not, many things that we call “Christian” is not the way of Jesus either. Our Christian culture has been shaped by both the words of Jesus and human opinion. Ponder on how the ways of the Pharisees and experts of the law prided themselves in their traditions and judged people off of that (Matthew 15:1-9). In other words, opinions about what humanity thinks is right can be very persuasive and in the moment, it feels right especially when it is benefiting those with power. Jesus would say, “You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said, ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and they worship me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matt. 15:6-9)

Beloved, perhaps today you need to hear this simple truth: Straight does not mean easy… it means right. May the Holy Spirit touch your heart and spirit today with His comfort, grace, and peace. I pray that He will give us confidence on the narrow path to keep going forward. May we choose to keep following Jesus out of sincere humility and love, fully devoted to His Name.

By Grace,

Through Faith,

Cortney Rae