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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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March 11, 2017

Narrow is the Gate

I stood there watching him. I hadn’t intended on doing it but as I was walking past my front window I caught a glimpse of him and my concern, and frankly my curiosity, got the better of me.

I had seen him walking through the neighborhood many times before this and often wondered about his story. He was young, maybe in his early 20’s and always walked alone, slowly, carefully, sometimes with a faltering step and often talking to himself. Once I had passed him when I was out walking too and my wave and friendly greeting was only met with a blank stare and no reply.

But today, today something was happening.

He had stopped on the sidewalk across the street, obviously unsure about what to do. In front of him there were trucks blocking the driveway of a house. Our neighbors were having some work done and the construction trucks had taken over, spilling into the street. His path was completely blocked. On one side of him, the street. On the other side of him, trucks. I was mesmerized. What was he going to do.

After what felt like an eternity, he took a step forward and then slowly, carefully he began winding his way around the trucks, and up onto our neighbor’s driveway. He carefully stepped over trailer hitches, turned himself sideways to squeeze past huge mirrors jutting out and at one point was even right up against the garage door as he maneuvered through the maze of vehicles before finally coming back onto the sidewalk.

I was stunned.

In my mind, it would have been SOOOOO much easier to simply step off of the sidewalk into the street and shimmy around the trucks before getting right back on course.

But he chose the harder route. Why? Why on earth would he go to all of the trouble?

As I watched him slowly walking out of sight, it dawned on me. In all likelihood, he had been told to avoid the street. To stay on the sidewalk at all costs. I can imagine someone, a parent maybe, giving him clear instructions about where he could walk. So, when faced with the decision, he took the longer, more difficult route out of obedience.

I turned from my window and continued with my day but what I had just witnessed was never far from my thoughts. That young man could not have known that what he did had so deeply touched my heart.

Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

I’m prone to claustrophobia. Tight, narrow spaces can cause me to have a full blown panic attack complete with sweating and hyperventilating. You don’t want to see what happens when I get zipped into a sleeping bag.

I like wide, open, non-confining spaces. They are so much easier to navigate and you don’t have to really guess what might be lurking around the corner. But, in the above passage, we are told that the way that leads to freedom in Jesus Christ is actually small and narrow. It sounds so counter-intuitive, doesn’t it?

But, when you think about it, most things about being a Christ-follower are counter-intuitive.

The wide and broad way, the way our world encourages us to follow, is really appealing. For one thing, that way is more populated…and more popular. There’s less accountability and the promise of feeling more freedom. The concepts of denying self, acknowledging sin, repenting and accepting the sovereignty of God are not really applauded in our culture.

In our humanness, we recoil against pain and suffering. We look for the easy way, the short-cut, to accomplishing things. We equate freedom and life with having nothing that feels too restrictive,  too confining.

And yet, being a Christ-follower means we choose the harder road. We see the open field on one side but choose the winding, narrow path on the other side instead. And we have faith that no matter what problems we encounter on that path, we will trust that God is with us in it. Because this is where we find true freedom, true life. Life that goes beyond the confines of this earth. Life eternal.

I think about that young man encountering the trucks blocking the easier way and his decision to take the narrow, winding, difficult path to get around them. I imagine him going home and being asked if he had stayed on the sidewalks and proudly being able to answer yes. Yes, he was obedient even though it was harder. Yes, he could be trusted to go on a walk again because he made the right choice. You see, there is actually freedom in obedience!

When I was a little girl we took a trip to Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, MO. One of the attractions there is the Marvel Cave. The whole theme park was actually built right around the cave! I will never forget the feeling of descending into the darkness. We had to walk down a steep, narrow path and I could feel the rocky walls beginning to close in on me. From time to time, our guide would even have to call out for us to duck our heads so as not to whack them on rocks that were jutting out. And just when it felt like we had been walking forever; just when it felt the most narrow and the most dark; just when we were starting to get really weary from navigating this path, we turned the corner and found ourselves awestruck as we gazed at this enormous room. Everywhere we looked there were stalactites and stalagmites. Lights had been installed and they reflected off of these formations creating the most beautiful colors on the walls. There were pools of water in a shade of aquamarine I had never seen before and waterfalls flowing from upper levels.

That long, winding, damp trek had been so very worth it. The descent into darkness had revealed light…and life!

My prayer for you friends, is that you will look at that narrow path with the small gate as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to experience the kind of freedom that our souls are longing for. The wide and broad path of the world promises us a freedom that is fleeting and temporary. But at the end of the narrow path, there is hope and peace and life everlasting.

I’m choosing the narrow path. And in spite of the hardships, in spite of the challenges and the fears and the times that can feel as dark as the journey down into a cave, I wouldn’t trade a single minute of it.

17 Comments Filed Under: Faith, Good Thoughts Tagged With: Faith, God

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Comments

  1. Gwen says

    March 11, 2017 at 6:07 PM

    Hi. I truly enjoyed today’s post. I actually forwarded it to someone in my women’s Bible study group for she had felt some bloggers she followed for what you do were not truly Christ followers of the Word. I don’t know if she will “connect” but I believe this is such a great tool to use for the great Commission. Sharing the Gospel message and giving diy and decor tips for free. It’s a new tool and you’re like a missionary of sorts. Thank you for putting your faith in as part of your blog.

    Reply
  2. Michele (Finch Rest) says

    March 11, 2017 at 6:20 PM

    Amen, sister – this is so well written and so awesome and so RIGHT.

    God bless you as you navigate through your narrow path.

    May the wind always be at your back.

    Hugs.

    Reply
  3. Pamela says

    March 11, 2017 at 6:22 PM

    Great post!!

    Reply
  4. Julie K says

    March 11, 2017 at 6:24 PM

    A beautiful post. It follows a Lenten sermon my Pastor just gave. It is a hard path, but it is the only path we should choose. Thank you for the reminder.

    Reply
  5. Gail says

    March 11, 2017 at 7:10 PM

    So true, the more that enters your path or your thoughts the more chance there is to stray. Keep your eyes and heart on the prize.

    Reply
  6. Jacqueline MacGregor says

    March 11, 2017 at 8:39 PM

    Vanessa, you never cease to bless me. I really needed to hear that today. May God continue to bless you and may He continue to shine His light upon you. In Christ….Jackie

    Reply
  7. Valarie Sanford says

    March 11, 2017 at 8:52 PM

    Beautiful, thank you for sharing!

    Reply
  8. Janet says

    March 12, 2017 at 5:00 AM

    Beautifully written. I thought it was a prologue to a novel.

    Reply
  9. Gail says

    March 12, 2017 at 6:10 AM

    Thanks for starting my Sunday with such beauty. Have a blessed day!

    Reply
  10. Pamela says

    March 12, 2017 at 6:29 AM

    Love this!

    Reply
  11. Carol Reddin says

    March 12, 2017 at 2:34 PM

    Beautiful visual reminder of the narrow path. Thank you!

    Reply
  12. Wendy Johnson says

    March 12, 2017 at 2:37 PM

    Nothing to add, just want you to know that I felt moved, blessed, again by one of your writings.

    Reply
  13. Rose L. says

    March 12, 2017 at 2:44 PM

    Well written! We do have to try to not do the easiest thing to get to our goals and maybe end up without the outcome we had hoped.

    Reply
  14. Kathleen Grace says

    March 13, 2017 at 12:04 PM

    Wonderful post. So well written and so on the mark. Thank you .

    Reply
  15. Ann pauley says

    March 13, 2017 at 6:24 PM

    Dear Vanessa,
    Well said and u also needed to hear that
    Today.
    Thank you fir sharing!
    Ann p.

    Reply
  16. Rebecca Turner says

    March 15, 2017 at 3:09 PM

    A good word!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      March 15, 2017 at 3:57 PM

      Thank you Rebecca!

      Reply

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“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
General Douglas MacArthur

Grateful today and every day for those who were vigilant to the point of death in the preservation of our freedom and the principles upon which our country was founded. May we honor their sacrifice by being vigilant too. #memorialday
I’ve been on the lookout for small side tables t I’ve been on the lookout for small side tables to pit next to our outdoor couch and when I spotted these plant stands at @walmart from their @betterhomesandgardens line I knew they would be perfect…and they are!! 👏🏻 This is not a sponsored post. I’m just happily sharing this great find and why we should always be open to thinking outside of the box when it comes finding solutions for our decorating dilemmas.

Now we’re ready to head into this beautiful weekend! ☀️
What do you do when you want to use a bunch of boo What do you do when you want to use a bunch of books in your decorating but it can cost $50 or more for just ONE brand new book? Head to the secondhand bookstore of course! I’m so excited about this new look in my family room and this easy, inexpensive decorating tip I’m bringing to you for this #tiptuesday
Today feels like one of those days that is worthy Today feels like one of those days that is worthy of a chef’s kiss. Blue sky with nary a cloud in sight, perfect mid-70’s temps, a gentle breeze blowing through my hair as I walk around my yard to see the status of my flowering plants.

This morning I was running errands and the weight of hard things that are happening in the world, the culture, my own community and even in our circle of friends just felt so heavy.

But, as I was exiting a store, I passed a couple who were in their late 60’s/early 70’s and holding hands as they walked through the parking lot. I happened to glance over just as the husband lifted his wife’s hand up and planted a kiss right on it. It was a moment that reflected such love and tenderness and it was made sweeter by the fact that they weren’t spring chickens. I felt honored that I had been the one to observe and appreciate that moment.

What an incredible thing it is that as humans we are able to hold so many emotions in our souls all at once. To feel sorrow for the pain a friend is enduring, grieve the decline of a culture drifting further from the Lord, ponder how to navigate a challenging school situation, marvel at and enjoy the beauty of creation right outside my door and feel joy at getting to see a tangible example of lasting love while walking through a parking lot.

I truly believe that as we mature in our lives and in our faith, we learn to embrace the tension that comes with the collision of different emotions and recognize that they can all coexist at the same time without one taking something away from another. Simple joys make the hard stuff a bit easier and hard stuff makes us appreciate those simple joys even more.

What’s a simple joy that you are thankful for today?
Oh what an absolutely lovely weekend we had!! Here Oh what an absolutely lovely weekend we had!! Here are some highlights…

*Friday night I joined some wonderful ladies at church for a time of fellowship and yummy desserts. I made a strawberry lemon coffee cake and it was amazing if I do say so myself. ☺️ We are new-ish to this church and have just felt so warmly welcomed and folded in which has been very healing.

*Saturday was filled with getting our outdoor spaces spiffed up and my guys got our new table put together!

*Sitting outside for lunch with a yummy salad and iced tea felt like a little slice of heaven.

*Sunday we went to the iris gardens with my in-laws and then came home for naps and the most mouth watering ribs that my sweet husband had on the smoker all day.

*This glorious weekend ended with some ferocious rounds of UNO-corn (a hilarious version of UNO) and brownies my sweet daughter made for our dessert.

How was your weekend sweet friends? 🌸
I am absolutely and completely a better version of I am absolutely and completely a better version of myself when the sun is shining! Raise your hand if this is true for you too.

And, not only do I feel myself seeming to physically rise up from a slumbered state to greet the sunshine we've been longing for, I find that it seems like my house is rising up too. Every room, every nook and cranny (even though I now see dust bunnies that I missed during my cleaning on the dreary days), every leaf and flower outside...it's all coming to life and breathing fresh hope into my spirit. What a gift it is to be able to enjoy this home in all of the seasons of the year and of our lives. Now, I'm going to head outside and clean our deck and maybe there will be some time leftover for those dust bunnies!
I’m slightly obsessed with these glass dispenser I’m slightly obsessed with these glass dispensers! They come with pre-made labels for SO many different options and would make a great Mother’s Day gift! I love how they add a bit of pizzazz to my kitchen. And they go perfectly with some of my antique accessories like the little dish my mother in law gave me for salt and pepper and the tiny toothpick holder which belonged to my great grandmother. 

If you’d like the link to order them, just leave a comment with the word ‘bottles’ and I’ll send it your way. They’re even on sale right now! 🙌🏻
The lilacs are coming! The lilacs are coming! This The lilacs are coming! The lilacs are coming! This is what I’m thinking (and sometimes saying out loud) every time I pass my dining room window and see my lilac tree bursting forth. I should probably just go full Paul Revere and ring a bell while I shout the news for all to hear. I’m sure my family would love that!

Lilac season is so bittersweet because it’s over way too soon but, fortunately, I’ve figured out how to capture the deliciousness of the fragrance by making my own lilac scented room spray. It’s SO simple!

Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka.

Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

This sweet little project was first featured in my book Life in Season and is definitely one of my favorites.

Have the lilacs started blooming where you live?
The cherry blossoms on the tree in our backyard ar The cherry blossoms on the tree in our backyard are at their peak and I’m here for it!
It’s time for another #tiptuesday! One of the gr It’s time for another #tiptuesday! One of the greatest joys of this stage in my parenting journey is getting to see the results of the years spent pouring into my children. The worry, the sleepless nights, praying, questioning our decisions and learning to trust in the Lord Who loves them even more than we do. We definitely didn’t do everything right, but what an an amazing experience it is to watch them become these incredible teens/young adults. My tip this week might seem simple, but I believe it can make a major difference in the lives of our children, in our homes and maybe, just maybe, in the culture too. 🌸
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