Why Following Jesus Is Uncommon... and Worth Everything

I was in seventh grade when I gave my first devotional. Ten minutes, tops. I was nervous, unpolished, and barely knew what to say—but the Scripture I chose has stuck with me ever since:

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

—Matthew 7:13–14

At the time, I just knew this much: the road to life is narrow. And not everyone who thinks they’re on it actually is.

That idea hasn’t gotten less urgent with time. If anything, it’s more real than ever. Because even inside Christian spaces, you can find people who’ve sat in church for 40 years… who know the Bible stories, but don’t live like they trust the Author. They’ve heard about walking with Jesus, but you don’t see the fruit of that walk.

And yet, Jesus still calls.

He still invites us onto a road that’s narrow—not because He’s trying to exclude people, but because the way of faith, surrender, and grace is just harder to find. It cuts against pride. It breaks down comfort. It invites real transformation.

And it’s not cold. It’s not cruel.

Psalm 23 shows us what this road really looks like:

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me;

your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

Surely your goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life,

and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

That’s the narrow path. Not the easy way, but the with-God way. Where the Good Shepherd leads, and we follow.

I’ll never forget a team-building challenge I did once—it turned out to be a living metaphor for all of this.

The task? Get your entire team across the finish line as fast as possible. But there were conditions: every team member was blindfolded and tethered to a single rope. And the terrain? It wasn’t smooth. It was rugged—low bridges to crouch under, uneven paths, puddles of water to step through, logs to navigate around. I could see, but my team couldn’t.

Some teams used complicated commands—“Turn left! Diagonal! Back up! Step high!” It didn’t take long before they were a mess.

I had just a few minutes to think. Then I told my team, “I’m going to make one sound—yip… yip… yip—every couple of seconds. It’s going to be weird. It’s going to get old fast. But if you stay close to the rope and follow my voice, we’ll make it through.”

And we did. We didn’t just finish strong—we came within three seconds of the all-time course record.

Why?

Because we didn’t get lost in the complexity. We didn’t try to outthink the obstacles. We trusted one voice, and we stayed together.

That’s what it means to follow Jesus on the narrow path.

It’s not about mastering every step. It’s about staying close. Listening for His voice. Trusting Him in the fog, the pressure, the uneven places. And moving forward together.

Uncommon Follower exists to help you do that. To be part of a movement of people who don’t just want to believe in Jesus—but who want to follow Him.

Let’s walk the narrow way. And let’s do it together.