March / April 2026 – Lent Reflection
Revd Kyung Mi Banks
Minister at Frimley Green, Hartley Wintney & Cove Methodist Church
MA. In Missiology & Wesleyan Theology
Kyungmi.banks@methodist.org.uk
Wider Path & Narrow Path in the Wilderness?
“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.”
(Matthew 7:13-14)
Some of you may remember the theme of Lent last year, “Emptiness & Fullness in the Wilderness,” which acknowledged our need, surrendered
to God, and found a divine fullness in Him through our everyday wilderness
experiences as believers of Jesus. For this year, our theme is “Wider Path &
Narrow Path in the Wilderness”. Some may describe life as beautiful (as it is), while others may describe it as challenging (as it also is!). I wonder what spectrum of life you arein between these two perspectives. Are you seeing the beauty of life which seems to work in a wider space — where opportunities appear open, choices feel easy, and comfort quietly invites you to remain where you are? Or perhaps, you are totally on the other side at a moment?
In the teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew 7:13–14, we are invited to
reflect on two paths: one wide and familiar, the other narrow and uncertain. The wider path is not always obviously wrong. Often, it looks attractive because it promises ease, approval, and quick satisfaction. It allows us to avoid discomfort, delay difficult obedience, or carry on without heartfelt
surrender. Yet Scripture gently warns that what appears spacious may
slowly distance the heart from true life.
The narrow path, however, asks something more of us. It calls for willingness, obedience, or maybe humble repentance through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Choosing it means embracing seasons of uncertainty, misunderstanding, solitude, or some degree of humiliation.
In the wilderness of daily living, the narrow path may look like forgiveness and grace when resentment feels justified, faithfulness when results seem invisible, patience when answers are delayed, or humility when pride would be easier.
Why would anyone willingly choose such difficulty?
Because the narrow path is not simply about trouble and distress; it is about transformation. God does not lead us through wilderness experiences to imprison us but to free us (as many of us experienced!). When comforts fall away, we may begin to discover what truly sustains us. When control slips from our hands, trust grows stronger roots. The wilderness becomes a learning curve, where surrender is not a loss but a gain.
Christian surrender is often misunderstood as passive resignation or simply giving up things. In truth, it is active trust. It is waking each morning and saying, “God willing, today I choose obedience over convenience.” Obedience may look small — a prayer whispered before reacting, honesty spoken when silence would protect reputation, generosity offered when resources feel limited. Yet these small steps slowly shape a life aligned with the heart of Jesus on the road of Golgotha (“Way of Sorrows”) to His crucifixion at Calvary.
The paradox of the narrow path is this: what begins as sacrifice becomes joy. Not the fleeting joy of comfort, but the deep joy of belonging. Those who walk it discover that God’s presence accompanies them in ways the wider road rarely reveals. In moments of difficulty, there is unexpected peace. Insurrender, there is freedom. In obedience, there is peace.
Perhaps the question for us this Lent season is not which path looks easier, but which path leads us closer to God.
The wilderness (will) come whether we choose it or not — through
change, disappointment, or waiting. Yet when we willingly choose the
narrow path within it, the wilderness itself becomes sacred space and
time. There, stripped of illusions yet filled with grace, we may finally taste
the joy God has lovingly prepared: a joy rooted not in circumstances, but
in obedience to Him. Amen.
*see more articles, Revd Kyung Mi’s Blog, “outside the gate”
