Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 96; 147:1-11, 2 Kings 18:9-25, 1 Corinthians 8:1-13, Matthew 7:13-21

What if the secret to life was at the bottom of your junk drawer? It could be lying there just under a dried up glue stick, a souvenir Disney keychain that’s too big for your pocket, and that not-quite-eleven inch piece of twine that will be perfect for something … someday (not). Not that it’s some seemingly worthless item which unlocks your mind and heart. What if the secret to life was the bottom of the drawer itself? Once you’ve actually emptied that drawer and kept it empty, you’ve learned something about paring away the unnecessary.

And if you’re thinking, “Then I could use the drawer for something meaningful” … stop.

You don’t need to fill the drawer. You really don’t. A drawer with nothing in it may seem like the most pointless thing in the world, but if you can become comfortable with it, that’s the first step to realizing what’s in all the other drawers might not be so meaningful either.

Jesus told his disciples, “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

So why is Jesus hidden behind the narrow gate? Why not hang out on the wide road that seems more inviting? If you want to get through a narrow gate, you can’t be loaded down with a lot of junk. Bulging backpacks and overstuffed luggage aren’t going to cut it. It’s hard to truly depend on God when we’re carrying around baggage – physical, emotional, theological – that is evidence we’re relying on everything we’ve managed to amass for ourselves. The gate is narrow so we arrive on the other side carrying only what is essential.

If we can’t keep one drawer empty, how will we get rid of the rest of it?

The secret to navigating that hard road and narrow gate isn’t always finding the right gear. Sometimes it’s more a matter of dropping everything that’s useless.

Comfort: You don’t have to have the solution to everything.

Challenge: Empty one drawer in your home.

Prayer: Loving God, help me to shed everything that stands between me and you. Amen.

Discussion: What’s in your junk drawer?

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