Destructiion

“Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few are those who find it” (Matthew 7:13 – 14, NASB). Here we are presented a choice. We are traveling down the pathway of life and the path comes to a point where we must pass through one of two gates. We notice that they are different in size. One is very wide, opening to a broad pathway on which there are many people. The other is very narrow, opening to a narrow pathway on which there are only a few people. The amazing thing is that the sign over the wide pathway reads, “The Way to Destruction”. The sign over the narrow pathway reads, “The Way to Life”. Why are so many reading toward destruction and so few toward life? What power draws them away from the gifts of kindness of the grace of God? For some reason I pondered that question as I took pictures of destruction long the path I was on during my Thursday prayer walk.

Let us pick up our walk in front of the building of the last picture of the last blog entry in which three women were, possibly, knitting on their back patio, facing sewage that was rising up through the surface of their back yard. We will go around to the front for our next picture.

It shows a business that is still in place and a customer looking for something. From here to the main road is the last section to be cleared for the final phase of the pedestrian walk. The area of the last blog entry will be built up next and will probably start later this year. It will be interesting how long he can hold out.

There used to be a whole row of buildings with little shops in them. The buildings are gone, but some of the shops are still there.

As we walk along we come to another business in operation, selling food on the street. Her customer base is probably still here and she will probably stay until their gone or she is scooped up along with debris all around her. I wonder what her stress level is as she thinks about where she should move to.

We see another business woman toughing it out in the above picture. Soon the building behind her will be rubble on the ground.

A piece of the past is no more.

And finally, the corner fruit stand. She has been in this spot under the same tarp for as long as I have been coming to Wuhan. I used to buy fruit from her because my apartment was in the apartment complex across the street from her.

Out of all this destruction, that has been going on for at least four years, there is rising a new way of life for people who have more money to spend. The space occupied by a lower class has been claimed at the cost and suffering of those who were making a living, to instead turn a profit for developer and those who do business with him.

Destruction came to the people along this ancient street just as spiritual destruction will come to those who decide to travel down the broad pathway. Maybe a better choice would be to choose the narrow path which leads one away from the destruction to a life of benefits one cannot now comprehend.