Two Paths – One Choice That Makes All The Difference

Seventh grade English teachers reasonably assume that not much sticks in the minds of their seventh grade students.  But my favorite poem came from my time sitting in the back of such an English class.  The final stanza of Robert Frost’s famous short poem, “The Road Not Taken”, stirs my imagination as much now as then:

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I –

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The poem speaks of choices and possibilities; of decisions that have consequences.  Acknowledging that our choice of direction is often irreversible and unrepeatable, Frost makes a point that leads us to spiritual conclusions.  Each decision we make, every path we choose to follow, makes a difference.

Our spiritual journey begins with two paths described by Jesus:

Enter through the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the road is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who go through it.  How narrow is the gate and difficult the road that leads to life, and few find it.   Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus proclaimed in the Sermon on the Mount that there is a road “less traveled by” that leads to life.  That is the path of salvation through faith in Christ’s sacrifice for you.  It is the path that leads to the abundant life promised to all believers.  But we don’t have to try to find our direction alone, because God has promised to point the way:

You reveal the path of life to me; in Your presence is abundant joy; in Your right hand are eternal pleasures.   Psalm 16:11

Our choice of direction says a lot about us.  Are we choosing for time – our life here and now – or for eternity?  Do we trust God in leading us as He promised, or do we choose self-direction?  Looking back at my life, I can testify that when I chose MY path apart from God’s direction (or sometimes in spite of  His direction) I found regret and not the fulfillment I expected. 

I love to walk in the woods, and as if in fulfillment of Robert Frost’s vision, I have taken those less-traveled paths.  I must confess that I have sometimes gotten lost.  Though I found my way back to the right path, it always takes more work and worry when we choose our direction poorly.  Joshua had it right when he challenged others who hesitated in following God:

…Fear the Lord and serve him wholeheartedly. Put away forever the idols your ancestors worshiped…Serve the Lord alone.  But if you refuse to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve…But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”   Joshua 24:14-15

Life is all about choices.  Sometimes following God looks risky.  But there is no safer place to be than on the path He offers even if it looks like no one has walked that way before.  After all, someone has to go first, right? 

Jacob