Does it ever make you uncomfortable believing there’s just one way to know God? It makes me uncomfortable sometimes.  I’m a people pleaser. I want everyone to be happy. I really want everyone to like me. I hate knowing people are annoyed with me or think I am intolerant or narrow-minded.

I’ve had to wrestle through this several times in my  Christian life. I have gone back to the Bible to make sure I didn’t miss something. Maybe God isn’t really saying Jesus is the only way. It does seem awfully rigid, doesn’t it? So I study again and, yep, there it is: Jesus is the only way to heaven.

So am I narrow-minded?

Only if what I believe is purely opinion. Like when I say ”Costa Rican coffee is the best coffee in the world.” You can choose to believe something else. I know that’s my opinion. But I think I’m right. I mean, have you ever tried Costa Rican coffee? It makes Folgers taste like…well, Folgers.

But what if I were to say,”Costa Rica is in Central America”? Could you disagree? Sure you could. You could yell at me and tell me Costa Rica is actually in Europe. You could really believe that. You could do your best to convince others that I am wrong and narrow-minded in my belief that Costa Rica is a Central American country. But that wouldn’t change the facts.

And the fact is, Jesus is the only way to heaven. People can argue that’s not true. And many do. And those people are smart, they do good things; I know many non-Christians who are far nicer than many Christians I have known. This isn’t about who is the “best.” It’s about facts. True and false.

But don’t take my word for it.  Check it out for yourself. Pick up the Bible. The book of John is a great place to start. See what Jesus says about himself. Things like, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes unto the Father except by me.” (John 14:6)

So I’m labeled narrow-minded. Big deal. I’ll add it to the list of names I’ve been called in my life. And I’ll ignore those names in light of what God calls me…

Beloved.

Somehow, everything else just pales in comparison.