1.17.25

One of the things I most look forward to about heaven is peace. Can you imagine what it would be like to have true peace? Peace from the voices in your head. Peace to sleep long and deep at night. To be completely content. So often my head hits the pillow lacking such peace, wondering what else? What next? What more? But there won’t ever be the need for any more in heaven. There will just be peace.

As we move into 2025, many of us are building routines and habits around more. I usually do the same. But I read a quote which has shifted my focus away from more. Corrie Ten Boom said, “Don’t worry about what you do not understand… Worry about what you do understand in the Bible, but do not live by.” So, I’m carrying the word intention with me into 2025. I need less of more, and more of the knowns – Jesus, sleep, church, workouts, serving, community. I already know those are important. If I can live by those, it will be a great year. Why search for more?

While it isn’t more, it isn’t easy either. Intention requires obedience, which can be challenging. When you plant seeds of obedience, you produce fruit like character. Character is a cornerstone of who I hope to be as a man, but character is never set in stone. Our character is dynamic and requires a blend of intention and consistency.

The book of Matthew speaks to intention with Jesus, “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” (7:13-14). 

The other day it hit me that I could spend all of 2025 striving for more, doing more, learning more, and still completely miss the narrow gate which leads to the fullness of life. Filling a backpack of more doesn’t qualify us for entry. Only Jesus does that. He gave his life so we could join him on that narrow road. We just need enough intention to ask him to let us through the gate.

I fear getting to the end of December and looking back only to realize I succeeded in all the things that don’t matter. That I have so much more, but I missed the narrow gate.

When I rest on those verses in Matthew, I receive a single drop of the peace which heaven will one day bring like an ocean. Because I’m reminded I don’t need more, I just need Jesus, and he’s waiting to walk with me through 2025 on that ever narrow road.