The Road Less Traveled
“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Throughout our lives, we will travel on hundreds of roads; however, when choosing the direction for our lives, there are only two roads or paths that we can choose to follow. The path that leads to destruction and death or the path that leads to light and life. Of course, we all want to travel the path to light and life. So how do we choose the correct path?
- First, we follow the best GPS
- Second, we find the best guide
- Third, we focus on the perfect destination
The best GPS we can use is God’s GPS–God’s Perfect System. It never fails, it never leads us on the wrong paths, and it never causes us harm. Where do we find this GPS? In Scripture. God’s Word illuminates our paths.
Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Imagine walking through a dense forest without any light. It would be very easy to trip over tree roots, bump into branches, or slip on slopes. We all know that it is much easier to get lost when it is dark rather than light. When we use Scripture as our guidance system, we are led on a path filled with light.
In John 8:12, Jesus said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Light gives life. Without sunlight, our world would rapidly change. We all need the physical light of the sun to survive on this earth, and we all need the spiritual light of God’s Son to enter into heaven. There is no other GPS that can promise you the “light of life” except God’s Perfect System.
The second thing we need to do to stay on the path that leads to life is to find the best guide. When we find the best guide–Jesus–we find life, not death.
In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” This is a very clear statement. There is no other guide to eternal life, except Jesus.
Jesus is “the way.” Jesus is telling us that we must follow him. There is no other path to heaven, no other way to the Father. Remember when Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born again. There is no other way to salvation.
Jesus is “the truth.” There are many paths that seem to be true, but are not. Jesus is the only true path. Remember when Paul encountered the resurrected Christ on the road to Damascus. Paul finally realized that the path of destruction that he had previously traveled was not the true path.
Jesus is “the life.” When we follow Jesus, we are delivered from death to life. Remember when many disciples had deserted Jesus, and he asked the 12 remaining disciples, “Do you want to leave too?” Peter answered, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” When we choose the best guide to follow, we will be on the path that leads to life.
The third thing we need to do is to focus on the perfect destination, which is our eternal destination in heaven. when traveling on our path to our perfect destination, we may encounter detours and dead ends, but we must persevere.
Even when we feel weighted down on our journey, we must remember that our “light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory.”
Even when we feel like giving up on our journey, we must remain strong and courageous because God is always with us every step of the way.
Even when we feel tempted to take an easier route on our journey, we must remember that “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.”
What road will you choose for your life?
When you reflect back on your life, will you be able to say, “I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”?