By: Lynn Green
Oftentimes I report on news stories and so my readers don’t always get to see my “feelings” blogs. This is one of my “feelings” blogs. They are actually my favorite to write [when I have the time] because you are getting my raw thoughts, uncut and unedited.
Look at the picture above. It is of a fork in the road in the middle of the woods. Sound familiar? It should, especially if you are educated. That fork in the road theme is from Robert Frost’s famous poem, titled,
THE ROAD NOT TAKEN
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
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.
That is a deep poem. I love it. It’s real. It is a metaphor for life and about how the decisions we make impact our entire lives for the good or for the bad. In the poem there is a person who is standing at a crossroads. He has a choice to make. Does he take the pathway that clearly is well worn and taken by many, many others. OR does he take the other path which obviously had received very few visitors?
As it stood, he took the “road less traveled” and discovered that by taking that road, it ultimately made all the difference in his life. Bringing the poem to reality, it is a known fact that choosing the career as “poet” is a road less traveled. Yet, that’s the road that Robert Frost took and he went down in history as one of the greatest poets that ever lived.
Holding Fast to Your Dreams
Let’s bring this to our own lives. Can you imagine what artists, musicians, and actors go through as they take the definite road less traveled by choosing a career path that very, very few ever succeed in? Can you fathom how many in their lives tell them, “Don’t major in acting. You’ll never get a job!” or “WHAT?! You want to be in a band?”
Yet, can you imagine if Stevie Wonder, Roberta Flack, Donnie Hathaway, Mahalia Jackson, the Winans, etc. had never taken the road less traveled? Our lives would not be as rich as they are because we would not have been blessed by their talents.
Jesus’ Example
Look at Jesus. He was the son of a carpenter named Joseph and a mother named Mary, a housewife. He, like his father, had become a carpenter.
YET, there was a point at which Jesus broke away from the mold and took the road less traveled. He became not just a minister—but He boldly made it clear that He was the Son of God and, in fact GOD! That’s a bold move, especially knowing that it was a move that was going to ultimately lead to His persecution and death.
Bringing it Home
Look at your life. Is there something you want to do but are afraid because of what others may think or say? My husband and I started a business last year and though we broke even, we did not earn a profit. All the money went back into the business. Without going into too much detail, I’ll say that it’s part of the service industry and we started it for two reasons:
a. We desire to be financially independent
b. We desire to employ and be a blessing to the lives of others
The business will be a year old in December. We have two employees and are on track to earn a profit next year! Breaking out and following our dream was indeed a road less traveled, as most who embark on businesses ventures fail within the first 6 months to a year. Yet, my attitude is, ALL things are possible through Christ who gives me the strength and victory. Failure is not a possibility for me.
It never entered my mind that I would fail, mostly because I did my research, established a firm foundation, and simply followed my dream. And it worked, even in this crazy economy. I’ll be able to look back next year and many years down the road and say that taking the road less traveled made all the difference in my life.
Choosing Your Pathway
What about you. Are you doing what you truly have in your heart to do? If not, why? What are you afraid of? What’s holding you back? Fear? Anxiety?
Start with baby steps. Do your research into what you want. And start working towards it. Be carefuly who you share your business with because the wrong person will talk you out of your own dream.
Jesus took the road less traveled and in so doing, it made a difference in all of our lives.
But we don’t need to have as lofty a goal as Jesus had. His death at the cross, though has put Christians in a position of victory. I’m not afraid to take the road less traveled because God grabbed the victory for me at Calvary and I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me. That’s the Word. I accept that for myself and would advise you to receive that Word for yourself.
As Robert Frost said:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference
