Walking TWWNP During Lent
Long journeys are difficult for me. I love to start things, but I’m not a natural finisher. There’s a thrill, a rush of energy, that comes when a new idea strikes me or I begin a fresh project. But if that new things begins to drag on I lose interest quickly.
The Well Worn Narrow Path is a long journey! The writers of the New Testament refer to it as a distance race. There are ups and downs, twists and turns, peaks and valleys. And sometimes, for me, the monotony of the straight, flat stretches are the most daunting and difficult to find the motivation to take the next step.
I’ve recently discovered that I live my life trying to skip to the exciting moments. I love to engage when it’s interesting. But as soon as it gets drawn out and boring I turn to sugar, entertainment, and spending money. It’s embarrassing, but those have become my fixes to fast forward through life when the journey feels mundane.
The Church calendar actually keeps things interesting. It gives us markers to look forward to. It gives us seasons where we mix things up a bit. Lent has been gift to me and countless followers of Jesus throughout the years. It’s a great time to spice things up by voluntarily adding some measured difficulty into the journey.
This year it felt like the Spirit of God was challenging me to challenge myself. Don’t be impressed. What might seem intimidating to me would be a walk in the park for most disciples. But I’m not embarrassed. The Spirit meets us where we are and takes us at his own divinely inspired pace.
As the days have turned into weeks, you guessed it, I’ve begun to lose that drive to conquer the tiny little mound I’m attempting to climb. It boggles my mind how sometimes I can be so on fire and fervent in my pursuit of Jesus and later that day I do everything I can to avoid him. As I drove home this evening I began to dread these short few hours something fierce. I knew no body was going to be home and for Lent I am abstaining from all my distractions. It was so painful at first that I began to do laundry.
But as I stilled myself just enough to hear Jesus beckoning me to himself his Spirit began softening me. An hour and a half in and the quiet has begun to befriend me. The stillness has begun to settle me into that beautiful space of abiding in the True Vine. It’s been so good I stopped doing the things around the house my wife wanted me to accomplish. I’m honestly not sure if this post is an overflow of the intimacy Jesus has graced me with or another attempt to avoid the boredom. You can decide for yourself.
— Brady White, March 27, 2025