Bigstuph Blog – Thoughts from Steve

Over the last couple of years I have been working in my head what it means to follow the “narrow road”. In Matthew 7:14, Jesus said, “But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few will ever find it.”
I have been really working through this in my head. After reading Crazy Love by Francis Chan and Radical by David Platt, along with countless hours in the word of God, I am concerned about how narrow my path really is.

The American dream is in direct contrast to the Gospel message, and yet everyday I feel like I give the majority of my time to the American nightmare.

My wife and kids have made a conscious decision to lighten our dependence on worldly possessions, and yet I don’t feel like my life is difficult. Despite the typical worries of running a business, paying bills, and keeping my head above water, I live a pretty simple life.

I usually take two showers a day, I eat what I want, when I want it, and I usually go back for seconds. As we burn away our dependence on worldly possessions, I still feel like my “moderate” standard of living is still somewhat excessive.

I want God’s eyes. I want to walk this narrow road with the few that God has placed in my life. Something tells me that what I envision as narrow, and what Jesus illustrated are two different things. For the most part people like me. I very rarely feel isolated or persecuted. Although I do feel crazy sometimes as many of my friends have told me that you can’t take Jesus’ words literally…such as love your enemy, bless those that curse you, turn the other cheek, etc.
Jesus may your ways become my ways. May my image of the narrow road be the image that brings your glory in my life.

I love Thursdays! My 12 year old daughter Kassie and I get to have our “daddy-daughter” date over breakfast every Thursday. A couple of weeks ago, as we were driving to our favorite breakfast spot (Bubbalou’s), we were having a conversation about worry.

I asked Kassie, do you remember when you never worried about anything? She laughed and said, “Those were the good ole days.” We talked about life as a “kid” (as opposed to a young woman of 12…almost 13:). As a kid you are completely dependent on your parents, and at the same time completely content on that dependence. You worry about nothing. I remember saying to Kassie, “Remember when all you had to worry about was whether you wanted Grape Jelly or Strawberry Jelly on your PB&J. She laughed, as she said “yeah…those were the good ole days.”

As we sat down for breakfast and ordered our food, our conversation continued about how amazing it would be if we completely depended on God and lived with total contentment in that relationship.

My daughter is amazing. I often tell her that when I grow up, I want to be JUST LIKE HER. Her faith and reliance on God is amazing. She loves God with every fiber of her being. She loves reading His word, and she always reminds me that God is in control. Almost daily she texts me or calls me to give me the verse God laid on her heart for me. What an inspiration. Oh to be like Kassie.

Once the food arrived, she blessed the food (I love to hear her talk to God), and she immediately handed me her bacon (this is our routine), and dove into her French Toast. As she was eating, I shouted, “Oh NO!” and she immediately responded with “What’s wrong Dad?”. As she looked at me she saw me staring at the two servings of Jelly that I had strategically placed in front of me. I then elaborated, “I don’t know if I can handle this!”. “What should I do?” At this moment I was using the best drama skills I could muster as I was trying to decide between grape and strawberry jelly. Once she saw the jelly dilemma in front of me, she squealed in laughter. I thought she was going to wet her pants. It was hilarious.

As a result I snapped the picture on my iphone, and recorded this day in my mind for eternity. God, bring me back to the day where my PB&J decisions are the only things that I worry about.
Jesus commanded us not to worry…Today I want to find complete contentment in my dependence on God.