This-essay is a7709161.htm which is available at the web-site www.essayz.com. See more notes at the bottom. Previous-Essay <== This-Essay ==> Following-Essay By-Months By-Years By-Words Webs of Like-&-Un-Like ESSAYS <==> Like-&-UN-Like This-One ========================================================== %NARROW DOOR 770916 Jesus spoke of the door to the kingdom of heaven as being "narrow" and the way to hell as being "wide". That characterization may suggest that we must compete with each other to get through the narrow door, with the most assertive and highly focused (specialized) being the ones who succeed in getting through the door. Presumably those who are less assertive and specialized will drift along the wide and easy way to hell. The image suggests that the kingdom of heaven is like an exclusive country club which admits only the few powerful members who fulfill membership requirements. An exclusive country club would lose its distinctive character if it got too crowded, so its entrance requirements are adjusted so as to maintain its exclusive character---keeping the membership within reasonable bounds. Such a kingdom of heaven would have a narrow door to keep the riff-raft of society out. The whole of Jesus' life and teachings clearly indicate that he did not regard the kingdom of heaven in such exclusive terms. He was a very inclusive non- JUDGMENTAL person who had little patience with he legalists of his day among the scribes, pharisees, sadducees, etc. His image of the "narrow" door must be interpreted differently if it is to be congruent with his whole life. Entry into the kingdom of heaven is not an easy entry---because of our own preconceptions, ultimate concerns, values, value systems, exclusive traditions, excommunicative habits, etc. Our misguided choices narrow the door for us. Our own highest values mislead us in ways which keep us from enjoying life in the kingdom of heaven. Our own exclusivity keeps us out of the kingdom. Our assertiveness and competitive spirit cause us to push our way out of the kingdom in our efforts to get in. To enjoy the kingdom of heaven we must repent; we must reorder our priorities; we must stop valuing our conformist standards for behavior in any ultimate way--- even when those conformists standards have been blessed by our religious leaders in the name of God. Our efforts to prepare and present credentials for entry through a "narrow" door into the kingdom of heaven are what keeps us out of the kingdom of heaven---they are what occasion the creation of the narrowness of the door which represents what keeps us out. (c) 2005 by Paul A. Smith in www.essayz.com Search for Integrity and Honesty (On Being Yourself, Whole and Healthy) ==========================================================
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