The Road Not Taken

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 marked 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.
Robert Frost

I remember learning this poem in either middle or high school and I never knew how significant it would be to me in life, especially at this place. I have always known since forever that I was different and stood out from among my peers. I never really fit in, I was very smart and at times socially awkward. I got picked on and learned to enjoy my own company, save the few friends that God put there to help me along the way. Since then, I have always gone about life my own way, doing things different from many I know with a drive to success in spite of every obstacle. I now know that this is the road not taken.

The other road looks so easy, but is filled with pain. The easy road always looks inviting and that your life will be pain-free. The road looks worn out and enjoyable…what you don’t see is the diversions along the way. What you don’t see is that the easy road is a circle and will bring you back to that same divergence. You see, the easy road in life is a continual test, that until we learn the lesson, we are not yet wise enough to realize that getting on that unbeaten road is our way out. The easy path grows worn from our own footsteps–because we make decision after decision that leads us there, back to where we started. It is only until we discern that we have passed the test, that we make the decision to take the other road and go on to the next place.

I am not saying you have to be loner, because we are never truly lonely, if we believe so. I am saying why keep rounding the same path, making the same mistakes, when you can have a life worth living, a life worth having by choosing that other path–and thus, choosing to live outside the societal norm? For me that other path means leaving Charleston, leaving friends, family and loved ones behind to follow my heart, to go where God is leading and calling me. Taking that other path means leaving everything I have come to know–so I must be willing to be used for whatever works God has put me here for, and live out His purpose. As much as I would rather not take the common road here and there, I know that God will correct my mistakes and use them for my eventual good. Take that other road today and seek Him for the revelation of your purpose and unique assignment. Your experience in life will be so much richer…and imagine the possibilities!

“I will lead the blind by a way they do not know, In paths they do not know I will guide them. I will make darkness into light before them And rugged places into plains. These are the things I will do, And I will not leave them undone.” Isaiah 42:16 NASB