Narrow Trek

A strait Gate said: 

Count the cost. Leave your baggage here.

It opened: 

Its 
trail 
was 
tight.

And
        rug 
              ged
          with
          rid
               ges.

A broad gate said:

Count the cost. Bring your baggage here.

It opened:

Its way was wide.

And pleasant with pastures.

I waited.
I wondered.
I watched in question.

Frozen I was clutching my baggage there.
My loved ones were also heading somewhere.
I then pointed them to the strait Gate here.

They didn’t go. 

Instead they journeyed along the broadway.
A few from the crowd followed the Pathway.
It’s rigid: nothing in the Narrow-way.

So I looked up.

It's straight header’s signage read in bold iron:

NARROW IS THE WAY THAT LEADS TO LIFE.
BROAD IS THE WAY THAT LEADS TO RUIN.

I paused.
I pondered.
I put into speech.

Who says?

A Voice said:

I am the Way.

No purse. No scrip. No shoes.

I am the Truth.

No sight. No man. No gods.

I am the Life.

No ail. No sin. No death.

Who are you? I asked.

I am the Christ whom the Father sent.
Believe on me and you will have Life.

Then softly He said:

Follow me.

I paused.
I wondered.
I pondered.
I put into thought.

The strait One’s right:

It’s strict: no leeway for my Salvation.

No pathways. No doorways. No other way.

It’s traversed by Trust in a Man called Christ.

No great will. No great tool. No other faith.

It’s now my choice to leave my baggage here.

I waited.
I paused.
I wondered.
I pondered.
I watched in earnest.
I put in action.
.
.
.
I dropped my bags.
.
.
.
No step backwards.
.
.
.
I entered.

A
L
O
N
E

The Gate closed.

No way back out.

The trek began.

Its
trail
was
tough:

My friends broadly fall: they chase life’s comforts!
I’m peculiar: 
              like we are pariahs!
My blood defected:
                         our brothers
                                              deserted!
I sojourn singly: 
                  walk
                          with 
                                 our
                                       Lord 
                                                    solely!
My people offish: 
                      yet
                             we 
                                   tar
                                           ry
                                                 on
                                                           ward!
I am now alone: 
                   how
                     oft’
                              are 
                          we
            l
             o
                 n
                        e
                                  s
                                              o
                                  m
                        e
                 !
            !
         !

We 
ask
now:

O 
Lord 
our 
God, 
please
l
 e
    n
d
   us
m
o
r
e
lee
      way!

Nei
      ther
left or 
          right 
can 
we 
turn 
a
round!
Our
t
i
g
h
t
l
y
walk
needs 
space for You
all-
round!

Here 
our 
God extends our gratitude.

We are thankful, and we are blessed.
We praise Him for this furnishment.

Then we trek onward:

This 
pilgrim 
afoot. 
This 
stranger 
abodes.
Trudge
lone 
sear deserts. 
Stroll 
through 
flat meadows.
In shade I find rest! In sunshine we sweat!
Christ’s Word I must heed; Christ’s Way is our lead:
Seldom sojourn; 
few focus; 
most mistrust!
I 
am 
l
o
r
n 
on 
land!
Our 
walk
is 
w
o
e
f
u
l!

We 
s
e
e
k
now:

O 
our 
Lord, 
please 
stay
in our
s
e
c
l
u
s
i
o
n!

Here our God expands our company.

We jointly march. We troop in our footsteps.
We praise Him for this fellowship.

Then we trek onward:

H/ i/ l/ l/ t/ o/ p/ s/,
t/ r/ e/ n/ c/ h/ e/ s/
we stride!
E       D      G      E      S,
c_a_n_y_o_n_s
we stag….
                 ….ger.
W~e~t,
d…r…y
we sway.
F! I!   E!      R!         Y!,
f-f-f-rr—i-ii—ggg-g-g-iiiii———ddd-d—d
we stalk!
We still
             shuf…
             …fle 
in our
austere ttt-T!r-R!rrr…A!A!A!—~vvv-v—/eE!eE!—_L!llllL!L!lll—/L!

We
p—P      P!~…rrr—aa-A!_//Y!Y!Y!—-yyy/…Y      Y
now:

Our God! 
Our 
       God! 
P-p-p-L!   E    Eeee—A!A!s_s_S! E!E!E!
band…
         …age our 
brui…
         …ses!

Here our God embolds our temperament.

We endure hardship. We evade hazards.
We praise Him for this forbearance.

Then we trek onward:

Oh! We are slipping! Oh! We are trapped!
Help! We are drowning! Help! I’m ’bout to fall!
Where are my brethren? Where are You, my God?
I am freezing! I am fervent! Help me!
I am so weary! I am so sickly!
I am so thirsty! I am so hungry!
Where are You, Jesus, when I perish?!
Your people are dying, O Lord our God!!
Firm footwear, lengthy rope I need right now!!
Life jacket, helping hand I need straightway!!
Warmth, water, energy, food anything?!!
Where’s my Provider?!! Where’s our Rescuer?!!
Give me medicine!!! Give us nutrition!!!
I am ALMOST DEAD!!! We are ALMOST DEAD!!!

SLIPPING!!! ENTRAPPED!!! DROWNING!!! GRASPING!!! FORLORN!!!

FREEZING!!! FERVENT!!! WEARY!!! SICKLY!!! THIRSTY!!! HUNGRY!!!

DYING!!! DYING!!!

HELP ME!!! HELP US!!!
.
.
.
Then our God ensures our protection.

Not by our planning. Not by our prospects.

Neither gold or silver, bread nor water,
hands or feet, eyes nor our mind would do.

In lieu, we learn how sojourners renewed:

Abel from a lamb. Abraham from Ur.
Noah’s gopher wood. David’s five smooth stones.
Elijah in famine. Joseph in bondage.
Hannah sans children. Ruth in devotion.

Male, female once trekked here narrowly.
In bondage, in freedom, in wealth, or in dearth,
They persevered ‘till their trek ended on earth.

What can I learn from them?

Arms nor forearms could’ve climbed tall cliffs.
Legs nor forelegs could’ve waddled deep waters.
Eyes nor foreeyes could’ve foreseen land’s frets.

A few lost their lives — could happen to me.
Some have lost their homes — this could perhaps too.
Many lost their friends — I lost them while back.
Most lost their Trust once — wish I was flawless.
All understood this — I want too as well.

Therefore in…
…hunger…
…thirst…
…heat…
…cold…
…sick…
…alone…
…anything…
…I can get what they had:
.
.
.
Here my God teaches me faithfulness.

A Voice said:

Follow me.

So I did like I have.

It was more direful than before:

Lacking food, water; raging tempests, blizzards;
Rising-falling temperatures; growing-scorching pain;
Ever-smaller edges; ever-bigger gaps; never-ending hurt.

I kept believing and believing:

Believing and believing.
Going and growing.
Never ceasing. Never forsaking.
Never stopped my Trust in the Lord.

But then I eyed my environs:

I kept thinking and thinking:

Thinking and thinking.
Slipping and slowing.
Now ceasing. Now forsaking.
I’ve stopped my Trust in the Lord.

Then I stopped believing:

So I struggled, stumbled, travailed in this troubling trail:

I wrestled; I stumbled: inward then outward.
My soul thirsted; my stomach hungered; 
My spirit oppressed; my body weakened.

It got worse and worse when I toiled more and more with it…

…toil and toil…
…toil and 
                toil…
…toil
         and
                 toil…
…till I wound up wounded through this troubling trail…

A Voice asked:

Why did you doubt?

I cried out:

Would You save me?

I doubted.
I feared.

But remembering what Jesus said:

I then prayed.
I repented.
I still struggled.

And struggled.
And struggled.

Then I had a transformation:

Inward not outward.

I felt at ease.

The provisions still petite.
The billows still bustled.
The landscape still lethal.

Yet in ease, I was stoutfully faithful.

All from a Man called Christ: not me.

I thanked Him.
.
.
.
Then in His timing, I got what I needed.

With His brook, with His bread,
With His shade, with His cave,
He gave me a rope; He gave us a raft;
He gave me His strength; He gave us our Hope.

Then we trek onward:

Sneaking, walking, running, jumping, crawling, sitting, stopping,
Eating, drinking, swimming, grabbing, climbing, throwing,
Waking, watching, blinking, drifting, sleeping, dreaming,
Laughing, lauding, weeping, praying, fuming, cooling…

…onward…and onward…onward and onward…

…we go…
…and 
          go…
…go 
and 
g
o
.
.
.
…my feet…our knees…
…my arms…our palms…
…dust, 
           scuffs, 
   creases, 
burns, 
           scars…

…we bled; we wept; and we sweated.

In peaks and vales Jesus trekked nearby sans fail…

…and always encouraged us…

…no one else…

…so we trek…

…while some of us depart…

…and we trek…

…hence we say our farewells…

…and I trek…

…thus I say farewell too…

…and trek…

…now alone again…

…and I trek…

…and trek…

…trek…

…tre
       k…

…tr
      e
        k…
…t
    r
      e
        k…
..
  .t
    r
     e
       k.
          ..
.
 .
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    r
     e
       k.
          .
           .
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       k
         .
          .
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          .
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   .
    
     
       
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          .
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  .
   
    
     
       
         .
          .

 .
 
   
    
     
       
         .

 
 
   
    
     
       
         

 
 
   
    
     
       
         

 
 
   
    
     
       

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…then my trek halts:

My body, my soul, my eyes…

…experienced and exhausted…

…I take a break…

…and sigh a great sigh…

…whew…
.
.
.
…I look ahead of me.

I see the strait Gate as the one I've entered.

It's straight header’s signage reads in bold iron:

WELL DONE YOU GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT.

It opens.

The Voice says:

Enter into the joy of your Lord.

So I will.

No step backwards.

I enter.

A
L
O
N
E

The Gate closes.

No way back out.

Our trek ends with Joy enduring.