The Strait Gate

My daughter and I have a little saying:

"Do the hard first, and the easy soon follows.
Do the easy first, and the hard soon follows."

It seems this pops up in life everywhere. For example, in moral issues and "one night stands." What may seem easy the next morning can bring remorse as pregnancy and other issues crop up.

My daughter is perhaps too young to understand the previous example, but we have talked about other scenarios; i.e. a person at work sees money laying on the desk and he or she has an overdue bill. What might seem easy (taking the money) soon turns into the hard if and when they are discovered, with tough consequences following.

My husband is a counselor and has worked with those struggling with addictions. What a tough road! And as a result of a multitude of choices, many are one step from prison. One more infraction and they lose their children and their freedom.

The hardest thing for an addict is to say no to the drug they've so easily brought into their lives. How much easier if the drug had never been taken in the first place. But that would have required a hard choice made under peer pressure. Thus the saying: "Do the hard first, and the easy soon follows. Do the easy first, and the hard soon follows."

Now individuals struggling with addictions must face tough choices. But if they "do the hard" now, the easy will come later--meaning the joy of still being with their kids and enjoying therefore fruits of hard decisions made well. (An addiction is something that requires outside professional help, both from the Lord and oftentimes with a professional counselor or group. Otherwise, it wouldn't be an addiction. It is tough and heartbreaking.)

What is so essential for these struggling individuals is to begin choosing "the hard first" now that their situation is so dire. Yet some continue to choose the easy way out (taking a "hit"). Then when the "hard" comes (i.e. losing their kids and going to prison), the sorrow is heartbreaking.

Thus, I've talked much with my kids how much better life will be for them when they become accustomed to doing the hard things in life first (do your homework early because then the fruits will come later, doing your chores first before playing, etc.).

So when I read in Matthew 7:13-14 today, I thought of that family expression of ours. It is a struggle to live, but how urgent to do so! Thus, these verses in the Bible are particularly significant regarding all this ... (Remember, "strait" means narrow; "straight" means not crooked):

Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:

In other words, it's all too simple to choose the "easy" in life...but the consequences will come (whether the next day or in 20 years time). So few find this though, as shown in the next verse:

Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

How urgent we listen to the Lord and thereby avoid heartache.