I saw a sign recently which made me think. It was on the side of a church building and at first glance it simply said ‘The Way’.
This reminds me of 2 things:
1) There is a worship song with the chorus ‘You are the way, you are the way. Lost and dead but your love came to find me, Jesus you’re the only way. (Click here to listen to it on YouTube.)
2) A well-known Bible verse came to mind: ’I am the way, the truth and the life’. Jesus said this in John 14:6.
The fact that the sign was on a church building made me smile – how fitting that a building that should be full of people showing ‘The Way’ to God has this sign on it! But upon closer inspection I noticed the extra writing…it said “Private Road/No Access”.
‘The Way’ that I am talking about, the one in the song and in the Bible verse is not private, it is not restricted access, it is not blocked off to certain people. It is open to all. That doesn’t mean ‘The Way’ will be an easy or a smooth road – in fact God pretty much promises that it is going to be rough and bumpy with twists and turns along it. Despite all this, the ‘Way’ I am talking about leads to heaven, to life eternal with Jesus in all his Glory!! ‘The Way’ that the sign on the church referred to just lead to a cul-de-sac of houses; nothing life changing, no glory. They were nice enough but hardly eternity with your creator.
I see this sign every single week as I attend a toddler group with my daughters. It is a little reminder to me that my primary focus right now is to show them ‘The Way’, and to encourage them in it. How am I going about that? Do I hinder their access to ‘The Way’ at all? If so, how can I remove that barrier? Thankfully as we get close to the toddler group I am reminded that I don’t have to walk this way alone. I have friends, mentors and brothers and sisters in Christ who walk ‘The Way’ with me and encourage me and my children in ‘The Way’.
Who is your primary focus right now? Maybe it is your husband or wife who doesn’t yet know ‘The Way’, maybe it is your work colleagues or your school friends who have lost their way a bit, or maybe it is your neighbour. How could you help them find ‘The Way’?