A Better, More Beautiful Way

I’m obsessed with this idea…

There is a better, more beautiful way. I want to be about this. And I want to be working together with Kingdom of God people who are about this.

Admittedly it is not a fully formed thought—not for me anyway, not yet. But like I said, I’m obsessed with it. I can’t stop thinking about it. One of the ways I like to work on unformed ideas is to talk about them (or tweet them).

Last week I tweeted:

Although “bigger better faster stronger” isn’t a value I share, I do embrace something along the lines of “a better and more beautiful way.”

On Sunday I tweeted: Working on this new thing as a pastor/preacher—to be less concerned about whether I preached good & more concerned if I loved my people well.

When Jesus said “Narrow is the way that leads to life; broad is the way that leads to destruction,” I don’t think he’s talking about having the correct set of beliefs.

I think he is talking about a WAY. The Jesus way.

The enemy-loving, self-giving, self-sacrificing, forgiving-times-infinity WAY of Jesus. The narrow way. It’s a relatively untraveled way. No traffic jams on this way.

In contrast, the broad way of destruction is so common that we don’t even notice it anymore – like fish unaware of water. It just is.

It’s the way things are. Fearful. Aggressive. Me-first. Violent. Bitter. Angry. Holding grudges. Full of outrage. AC/DC’s famous song Highway to Hell says my friends are gonna be there too.

Yes, Hell’s highway is a populated path. The common way. But there is a better, more beautiful way.

This better and more beautiful way is patient, slow, gentle, creative, peaceful, gracious, forgiving.

Let’s be honest: the better and more beautiful way doesn’t make for good TV ratings or front-page news stories. Fear and violence and outrage always attract more attention. If it bleeds, it leads.

The Apostle Paul said, “I will show you a better and more beautiful way…”

These are the last few words of 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Then comes chapter 13. The section title of 1 Corinthians 13 reads: THE WAY OF LOVE.

What is the better and more beautiful way? The way of love. The less popular, less populated way. The way that doesn’t grab the headlines. The way of Jesus.

In an interview with the New York Times, Donald Trump recently said he thought Heidi Klum’s looks were fading. “Sometimes I do go a little bit far,” Trump admitted. “Heidi Klum—sadly, she’s no longer a 10.”

This stuff makes the headlines. And while some defend it saying, “He’s just telling the truth,” I can’t help but long for a better and more beautiful way.

If we were to turn the Apostle Paul’s words around, instead of saying, “I will show you a better and more beautiful way… the way of love,” he would warn us, “Avoid the easy and less beautiful way… the way that leads away from love.”

Ed Gungor said, “What if our search for significance is really the ego’s quest to be bigger and better than others? Perhaps we are better off pursuing love.”

So, that’s my unformed thought. Writing about it helps me work it through a bit more – kinda like kneading bread. I’d love to hear your thoughts…