The Narrow Way - Week 8 The Narrow Gate Matthew 7:13–14

Welcome back to The Narrow Way!

Well, what a week it's been. If you had asked me last Monday what I'd be doing this week, I can promise you my answer wouldn't have included playing another Q-School in Florida. But here we are, and I couldn't be more thankful.

If you've been following along, you know I came up short at PGA TOUR Q-School in California a few weeks ago. My caddie and I felt like we played some really good golf, but ultimately we didn't get the result we wanted. Since then, I've been home practicing, training and praying for opportunities to compete while trying to figure out what comes next.

Then Thursday rolled around.

I received an invitation to compete in the first-ever MENA Tour U.S. Q-School in St. Augustine, Florida. Another opportunity to earn professional tour status and continue pursuing what I believe God has called me to do.

The only catch? The tournament starts Tuesday!

That gave me just a few days to figure out registration, travel, accommodations and how I was going to pay for everything. If you've followed my journey, you know professional golf isn't cheap. But through a whole lot of prayer, God's provision and the generosity of some incredible people He's placed around me, everything came together.

By Sunday, I was loading up my car for a nine-hour drive to St. Augustine.

I couldn't help but laugh thinking about it on the drive. Here I am spending all this time trying to figure out my schedule and what the next six months should look like, and suddenly I'm heading to a tournament that wasn't even on my radar a few days earlier.

It's another reminder that I can prepare, make plans and work incredibly hard, but I don't have to have everything figured out. God's timing and His plan are so much better than my own.

I don't know what the results will be this week. I'm going to show up Tuesday prepared, compete to the best of my ability and enjoy every minute. Regardless of what happens, I'm incredibly thankful to be here.

And with everything that's happened, this week's passage couldn't be more fitting.

The Narrow Gate

In Matthew 7:13–14, Jesus says:

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it."

We're getting toward the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has spent all this time teaching us about prayer, worry, loving our enemies, trusting the Father and how we treat people. Now He's bringing us to a decision about how we're actually going to live.

Living in Nashville, I can't read this passage without thinking about Broadway.

If you've ever spent a Saturday night downtown, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Music blasting, bars packed, alcohol flowing and thousands of people looking for a good time. I love live music, and there are some incredibly talented people down there, but there's also plenty happening that doesn't line up with how Jesus calls us to live.

And isn't it interesting that Nashville's most famous street is literally called Broadway?

Now, I'm not saying everyone who goes downtown is living on the broad road Jesus describes. But think about how easy it is to follow the crowd without ever stopping to ask where you're actually going. I was there and I have lived that.

That's what stands out to me. Jesus tells us the broad road leads to destruction, while the narrow road leads to life. He's talking about something much bigger than which road is more popular. He's talking about our relationship with Him and where we're spending eternity.

And you don't have to spend a single night on Broadway to find yourself on the wrong road. You can have a great job, plenty of money and look like you've got everything figured out while living completely apart from Jesus.

I know what it's like to build your life around something other than Him.

For a long time, that was golf for me. If I played well, I felt great. If I played poorly, it could ruin the next few days. I cared way too much about what people thought of me and what my scores said about who I was.

I was chasing the same dream I'm chasing today, but my heart was in a completely different place.

Then Jesus got ahold of my life.

Following Him hasn't meant giving up my dream of professional golf. It's meant surrendering my life to Him and allowing Him to change why I'm pursuing it.

I still want to win tournaments and play on the PGA TOUR. But my identity isn't riding on whether I shoot 65 or 85 anymore.

Golf is what I do. Christ is why I do it.

Trusting the Road I'm On

A few weeks ago, I was leaving California disappointed because the door I wanted hadn't opened. Now I'm in Florida preparing for another Q-School that wasn't even on my schedule a week ago.

Proverbs 16:9 says:

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps."

I love that verse because it doesn't tell us to stop making plans or working toward things. It reminds us Who ultimately directs our steps.

But I also don't want us to miss what Jesus is saying in Matthew 7. The narrow gate isn't about God opening the right tournament opportunity or making everything work out how we hoped. Jesus is calling us to follow Him, and He's the One who gives us eternal life.

There will be doors that open and doors that close. There will be prayers answered differently than we expected, and following Jesus does not promise comfort.

I don't know whether I'll earn tour status this week or where I'll be competing six months from now. But I know Who I'm following, and I'm becoming a lot more comfortable not knowing every detail of what's next.

If things aren't going how you planned, I want to encourage you to keep seeking Jesus. I can't promise another opportunity will show up for your right away. But I can tell you that knowing Him has completely changed how I walk through seasons like this.

Pray With Me

Jesus, thank You for Your goodness, Your grace and the way You continue to work in our lives, even when we don't know what's coming next. Thank You for the opportunities You've given us and the people You've placed around us.

Forgive us for the times we get so caught up in our own plans that we forget to seek You first. Help us recognize the things we've put ahead of You and give us the courage to surrender them.

Teach us to follow You down the narrow road, even when it's uncomfortable or different from what we planned. Remind us that our identity, hope and salvation are found in You alone.

In Jesus' name, amen.

Take It to the Tee

Here's a question I've been asking myself lately.

Am I actually following Jesus, or am I just asking Him to bless the road I've already decided to take?

It's easy to make plans, set goals and ask God to make everything happen the way we want. But what if He's calling us in a different direction? Are we willing to follow Him?

For me, that doesn't mean I'm going to stop chasing the PGA TOUR. I'm going to keep practicing, training and competing with everything I've got. Tuesday morning, I'll tee it up here in St. Augustine, thankful for another opportunity to do what I love.

But while I'm chasing this dream, I want to make sure I'm actually following the One who gave me life.

Because as thankful as I am for another chance to compete, the greatest thing Jesus has given me isn't another golf tournament. It's the opportunity to know Him, have a relationship with Him and spend eternity in His presence.

And that's worth more than anything I could ever accomplish on a golf course.

Know Him and make Him more known.

See you next week.