Cohesion: The Narrow Way

I ran across this sketch in an old journal from the past few years:

Does one of these need to go?

I was trying to visualize the concept of the Jungian mask – the small, false self that some of us are so good at displaying to the world – and the True Self – the part of us that is really who we are.

Jesus has a lot to say about dying to self and taking up the cross to follow him. He talks about how narrow and difficult that his way of life will be. Growing up, I mostly believed that was about getting rid of that pesky True Self so that the perfection that I wanted to present to the world could be the only reality.

I had it completely wrong. At least I’m pretty sure.

It is, in some ways at least, far easier to try to prop up that false self, to show the world how wonderful I am. It is far more difficult to embrace the vulnerability necessary to let the false self die.

It is easier to continue to propagate a morality based belief system than to let one’s self really fall into grace.

But if I’m more right now than I was growing up, then that is the cross that must be borne. That is the way that must be followed. That is the lie that must be allowed to die.

Because narrow is the way to eternal life. The kind of life worth living.