Along the Straight and Narrow Path...the Scenic Route

<p>Mom you did it again!</p><p></p><p>The total dismay in my daughter's voice as she realized we were lost only increased my feelings of frustration and anxiety. She was right. I had in fact done it again. I had forgotten to look at a map to get directions to her recital. We were again taking the scenic route and were going to be late.</p><p></p><p>Life is often thought of as a journey. But many of us put more time and effort into preparing for a short vacation than we do in planning for our life journey. Because of that we sometimes wind up taking the scenic route in life.</p><p></p><p>This book takes a look at one of the most basic tools necessary for a journey-a map. In life our map is the internal collection of values and beliefs that we rely on every day. Therefore it is extremely important for us to be sure it is a good map. If we try to go through life without one we often wind up making bad decisions and spending precious time on unnecessary (sometimes painful) experiences-in other words taking a scenic route.</p><p></p><p>As long as I can remember the phrase along the straight and narrow path has been an analogy for life. But it is not easy. I have strayed off the path more times than I want to admit. Some of those times have been because of mistakes in my map but other times have been because of sheer pigheadedness on my part.</p><p></p><p>I would like to show you parts of my map and talk about some of my scenic route experiences. Some of these are painfully embarrassing but I hope you can identify with some of them and that my experiences can help you.</p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p>Matthew 7:13-14. 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:</p><p></p><p>Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few there be that find it. (KJV emphasis mine)</p>