My husband Bill and I enjoy driving to places when we travel on vacation. If at all possible, we love to take the scenic routes to our destination. We avoid freeways and all the traffic and hassle that go with them. We take our time and often stop to look at the scenery or pop into quaint little shops. I find it very relaxing to bypass the busyness of the major thoroughfares. It also permits me to arrive at the journey’s end in a state of peace and tranquility.
[bctt tweet=”Which path will you choose this day? The crowded roads or God’s less traveled road”]
Following country roads can also present some challenges. Sometimes we get stuck behind a slow-moving tractor on a small two-lane highway with nowhere to pass. Occasionally, country roads appear less maintained as compared to their city counterparts. Also, breakdowns in the middle of nowhere add the additional problem of finding help when no one is around. Nonetheless, we still prefer the less traveled routes.
Matthew 7:14 (NIV) “But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
These getaways remind me of our walk in faith. We can travel with the world down the wide, well-worn roadway. It is the easy way with many conveniences to make our journey more pleasant. However, in the end, this road usually leads nowhere other than to death and destruction. Alternatively, we can travel the quieter, narrow path that leads us to Christ. It may not be the easy way, but it leads us to eternal life in Christ. I think Robert Frost captured my thoughts so well in his poem called “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 other 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.
Which path will you choose this day?
Blessings,
Yvonne – #blogger, #speaker, and #author
Matthew 28:19 “Therefore, GO and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.”
100% of the proceeds from sales of my book, Turning Mountains Into Molehills, go to help the orphans at Orphan Relief Effort, Inc
Taking the winding road reminds me to put aside expectations and schedules. It’s definitely a good practice!
I pray I will follow the path God has planned for me. Even with detours created by me, I know His road is always best. 🙂
Amen. Thanks for responding
The scenery is better on the winding roads. God bless!
I love that you made the connection between the road less travelled and how it relates to our walk with Jesus. And I prefer the scenic route as well, even if I have to wait behind a tractor. 🙂 Thanks for posting!
Thanks
Dear Yvonne!
I like the approach of you and your husband, avoiding the freeways and all the traffic and hassle.
We get a better perspective by walking with the Lord.
Blessings!
Edna Davidsen
We do get a better view. Thanks Edna
I have read Matthew dozens of times, and never really read that verse. It’s funny how you can read something so many times, then all of a sudden it has so much meaning! Thanks for sharing!
God Bless,
Jessie
http://www.onelostcoin.com
Thank you
Love this, Yvonne. I hate taking the freeway as well. And on the Christian journey I’m striving to take God’s less traveled road.
Thanks Karen
Choosing the focused path today 🙂 I felt like I was on vacation all week and today is my first day working and I am just crossing things off the list.
At least it is almost Friday
Great encouragement to slow down, smell the roses, admire the landscape, and enjoy the events and days and pleasures of life along the way. Thanks for these reminders, Yvonne!
Thanks Melinda
The narrower path is not always an easy one but it is definitely worth it in the long run. Love that poem!
Thanks Brittany
Thanks for the link