Living in the Tension of Hope
The Narrow Gate is a ministry that exists to provide care for weary and wounded hearts. Together in a small group setting, leaders and participants enter stories of harm from their lives and walk together in pursuit of understanding, clarity and truth that lead to healing and redemption. We invite you to learn more about the purpose, vision and opportunities of this ministry as you engage this website.
ENTERING THE NARROW GATE
In the book Trauma and Grace, Serene Jones says” Too often we believe that when physical healing occurs, mental healing naturally follows, and that with time all wounds heal. Such is not always the case, however. Violence often cuts so deeply into our minds that surface healings cover it over and, hidden away, allow it to expand. The balm-like work of theology and of religion is to uncover and mend such wounds. And what medicine does this? Healing lies as much, if not more, in the stories we tell and the gestures we offer as in the doctrine we preach.
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Matthew 7:1-14
We are called to be speck removers and we are called to put ourselves in a place to have specks removed from our own eye. We notice that the eye is chosen as an entry place for care. We also notice that the eye is one of the most sensitive places on our bodies. We feel this represents the need for trust to be built before we try to remove a speck or before we allow a speck to be removed. This passage is about humility, and it is a warning to not be a hypocrite by placing yourself above any human being. We are reminded not to judge, and we are also asked to be more accurate with our pearl casting.
We are called to discern where to throw those pearls and to whom, and it is to be done without judgment. God calls us to connect to our hearts and to ASK for His guidance in our pursuit of intimacy in relationships. We are called to movement as we SEEK pathways into more connection with God, ourselves and others. We are called to be persistent in our KNOCKING in the times when there is no answer. All this movement is to create more understanding and connection to our
hearts. In doing so, we will increase our capacity to care for others as we learn to care for our own heart. This takes us to the narrow gate and the difficult way. We believe in the need for a rhythm of repair. The need to return to our stories of harm, where we have disconnected, minimized, and sanitized our pain. The reconnect to the trauma events within our stories. To repair in
community through, anger, grief, grace, and mercy.