It Will Make All the Difference

Have you ever set out on a trip without knowing just exactly how to get there? Ladies, this has probably never happened to you. But men find these situations strangely invigorating. I think most men can relate to this scenario. You see, the challenge is to find your way without letting your wife know that you are completely lost. Of course, asking for directions is completely out of the question. And when you finally arrive, albeit three hours later than you should have, the reasoning you offer is, “I just wanted to take the scenic route.”

Consider for a moment the path of our lives. All of us are on a journey. All of us must make decisions that will determine the direction we take. Ultimately, the path we choose will determine our eternal destination. It behooves us, therefore, to choose wisely. This article will briefly examine the two paths that lie before us…the fork in the road that requires us to make a choice before proceeding. As we will discover, the direction we take will make all the difference.

Robert Frost has captured the concept of “two paths” in his poem, “The Road Not Taken.” See if you agree with his assessment:

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.

This very beautiful poem underscores man’s innate understanding that we face choices in life. It suggests that choosing the less popular way can make a real difference. But, sadly, this text also reveals how many people approach spirituality. Frost tells us that the two paths are equally fair and that he desires to save the other path to walk another day. That sounds pretty good if this only pertains to earthly choices. But it seems that many people see God in this way. They believe that all paths lead to Him, or that there will be plenty of time to take the right path later. The truth is - there is one path that leads to life, and the other path leads to destruction. Believe me, they are not equally fair.

One of the earliest Christian documents is the Didache’ or “The Teachings of the Twelve Apostles.” It was not included in the Canon of Scripture, but it was very widely circulated among the churches of the late first and second centuries. This book was kind of like the doctrinal manual for the Early Church. The Didache’ says in its opening statement, “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, but a great difference between the two ways.” This really is basic Christian teaching.

Matthew 7:13-14 says it this way, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”

God has made a way for us through the death and resurrection of His Son. Many arrogantly deny this way, seeking to forge their own path. Our task is to point them in the right direction while there is still time.

As we begin this new year standing at the cross roads, let us consider well which path we will take. May the truth of the Scriptures, the faithful witness of the Church through the centuries, and God’s Holy Spirit prompt us to take the narrow path, the road rarely taken and the only one that leads to life. It WILL make ALL the difference!