One of my favorite poems is "The Road not Taken" by Robert Frost. It is a poem that I can relate to when I have come to crossroads in my life that required a choice.In the poem, the person at the crossroad examines the paths that are set before him. He can see that one path is worn and the other has less wear, noting this path is not one normally chosen. As he stands there thinking which one to take, I believe that he concludes, it would be easier if he could travel down both roads instead of selecting one path. This way, he will not make a mistake or miss something important. He eventually selects the road less traveled. He takes a risk and goes down the path that few dare to travel. Later as he reflects on his choice, he clearly states, "It has made all the difference."
After we make a few wrong choices, we begin to learn the "Play It Safe Game." The rules for this game are simple, each time you come to a crossroad in your life, take a road that is easy and familiar in order to avoid making mistakes. Or don't make a choice at all, instead turn around and go back and refuse to venture out on any new paths of opportunities that present themselves in your life. Now if we do this long enough, we become conditioned to no longer take risks in the hopes that we can avoid a negative impact to our lives. Unfortunately, this does not always work.
As Christians, we need to understand that this game is a trick of the enemy to keep us from the blessings that God has for us. In order to grow in faith, we must be on the path that God has selected for us. It may not always be a path filled with peace, etc., but nonetheless, it is the path that He has chosen for us because it leads to our completeness in Him. By allowing the enemy to blind us, we begin to live in fear and become paralyzed. Thus, we stay in the same rut, never moving forward or maturing into the mighty man or woman of God.
The scriptures make several references about what must be done when we come to a crossroad in our lives. We are to ask the Lord for guidance each time that we are standing at a crossroad, so that He will show us the right road to take. By asking, He will point the way using various signposts, which will lead us towards the direction that we should take (Psalm 25:4).
Be assured that God is concerned about your life and He is willing to stand at the crossroads with you. He wants to guide us and we need his guidance in order to take the right path that He has laid out for us. However, you must continue to be mindful that some roads that He guides us to will not always be easy to travel on, but He will sustain us and be there in the mist of any circumstance that we may face. He will not leave you alone even if He has placed you on a road that is less traveled. Lastly, we must acknowledge him in all our ways so that he can make our paths straight, if by chance, we take a wrong turn (Proverbs 3:6).
God's word is very clear about what we must do when we come to a crossroad in our lives. In Jeremiah 6:16 (NIV) it states, "This is what the Lord says: Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."
We are instructed to not be hasty, but instead we must examine the path, which signifies that we need to pray and seek God's plan for our lives. We need to ask him for his divine guidance. Lord, "what is the best way for me to go and walk therein." Lastly, once He directs us, we are to be obedient and not worry. We must be at peace with the path that he has placed us on. The poet is correct in this respect, the roads that are less traveled make us stronger and help to develop our faith by drawing us closer to God. The roads less traveled are blessings in disguise that make us better people who can bring hope to others by our testimony. They are roads that make all the difference in our lives.
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