Quiet, overgrown, and covered with leaves, this road appears to have been undisturbed by creatures of any kind. Its vibe is reminiscent of Robert Frost’s nostalgic, contemplative poem “The Road Not Taken,” which captures some of those wistful “what if” thoughts and feelings we silently nurse. The last verse:
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. (Robert Frost)
Standing at a crossroads, pondering the uncertainties, weighing the pros and cons, and anticipating potential consequences of our choices, we realize that some ideas and plans are more risky, challenging, and life changing than others. And after the choosing, we wonder how life might have been different if we had chosen a different course.
Not all choices have moral significance, but many crucial determinations depend upon character, on core moral and social values and upon an understanding of right and wrong. It is easy to act impulsively or without proper consideration and to damage our bodies, psyches, and souls or hurt others by inflicting wounds we cannot heal. Most likely, we all harbor regrets and have discovered that recovering or backtracking from a bad decision may be difficult or even impossible.
Developing a strong moral framework upon which to build our lives is necessary for becoming “successful” humans. There is a profound generational responsibility for parents, teachers, pastors, and leaders in society to teach, portray, and inspire good values to succeeding generations. Learning self control, how to face challenges with wisdom, courage and humility, how to take responsibility and to act justly, how to treat and care about others, how to act with honesty and generosity, how to forgive, and how to live with gratitude are virtues applicable to everyone without exception
However, God’s holy goodness is the great reality behind moral behavior. When God created us, He defined and established what is good for our souls and has never ceased revealing His purposes and best ways to live. Millenniums ago, He told His people they could choose a life blessed by Him or one devoid of His guidance: “ I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life” (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Living repentantly, humbly submitted to God’s good ways and grateful for God’s redemptive power to rescue and restore is the path to spiritual healing and wholeness. One of the great, encouraging promises found in the book of Proverbs is: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths” (or make them straight) (Proverbs 3:5-6).
Through the inspired lessons and recorded history found in Scripture and the passion of Christ, we discover that when we fail to acknowledge God and lose our way (and we do), He lovingly lifts us beyond the self-indulgent messes we make of our lives. King David knew moral failure and found that kind of redemption. Hear him pray: “Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 19:23-24). Praying that prayer invites God to be our Shepherd to lead in ways that bless and protect our souls, in ways intended for our good, in ways that will always honor His Name (Psalm 23).
In New Testament lingo, David’s prayers and songs for redemption and guidance equate to Peter’s exhortation for his readers “to follow in (Christ’s) footsteps” (1Peter 2:21). Christ appealed to those who sought him “to repent and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15) His exhortation to those wanting to improve their lives was to “Go and sin no more.” That meant living a new life transformed by repentance and belief, a life of faith. Rewarded with more than met needs, those seekers who responded were granted forgiveness and the promise that whoever believed in him would not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16; 11:25-26).
There is an old hymn which speaks about path choices and the difference belief in Christ and in his sacrifice for us will make. The first stanza states it simply but gives one pause to consider the ultimate in “what if’s”:
“I must needs go home by the way of the cross;
there’s no other way but this.
I shall ne’er get sight of the Gates of Light
if the way of the cross I miss.” ( “The Way of the Cross Leads Home,” Jessie Brown Pounds, 1906)
Choosing to believe Christ made all the difference for those who recognized their need for his power to heal their souls and change their lives. That “Way” still exists. Choosing him will make “all the difference” now and forevermore.
May our hearts be directed to “ the love of God and the steadfastness of Christ” (2Thessalonians 3:5).
