Make me a Mary: This path is really narrow and REALLY obscure...

It takes guts to travel down a path when you can't see where it leads.

It's a scary thing to forge ahead when there are no guarantees that the way will be smooth and pleasant. Maybe you'll encounter treacherous twists and bends in the road. You might be led through deep, dangerous waters. Perhaps you'll face steep hills and dark valleys. You will certainly grow weary along the way. But what if you know that something wonderful is waiting for you in the end?

I studied Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" (below) over twenty years ago as an English major. I was intrigued from the moment I first read the poem. The poet is noted as having warned,

"You have to be careful of that one; it's a tricky poem--very tricky."

Frost never makes it clear whether or not he chose the better of the two roads. Instead, he closes the poem with a sigh and asserts that his chosen path has made "all the difference".

But what difference did it make? As a young college student, reading these closing lines moved me beyond intrigue to frustration. I wanted to know more! I wanted to know if he regretted his choice. I assumed so, perhaps because of his little sigh in the last stanza. But if he did have regrets, what had gone wrong? Even at that age, I guess I saw it as a good thing to try and learn from the mistakes of others.

Back then I was just a small-town college kid trying to figure life out. If I'd had more spiritual depth to me at the time, I might've gone to the word of God to see what He has said to us about choosing the right path . . .

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV

This morning my pastor taught on faith. He talked about Moses, and how he forsook wealth, power, and all that he was destined for as the adopted son of Pharaoh's daughter so that he could follow God's command and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses couldn't see what lay ahead for his people on the path of obedience, but he trusted. And because he acted in faith, God used him mightily and delivered them from Egyptian bondage.

The broad way may have seemed easier at the time, but Moses resisted and took the narrow way, and God moved in awesome ways, performing some of the most amazing miracles in all the Bible.

The narrow path usually isn't all that appealing. Entry through the broad gate is much more alluring because we can see what's just ahead for us. Naturally, we are drawn to the path leading to happiness, and the enemy is always there coaxing us, tempting us, and prodding us along however he can so that we'll follow our passions and our fleshly desires. But all of it is only temporal, and eventually, the things we found enticing enough to chase after end up causing us untold misery and heartache. But by the time we realize that we've been deceived into choosing the wrong path, it's too late to turn back.

Moses wanted out of Egypt--and he found his way out by following the narrow path. As my pastor pointed out this morning, we are all looking for a way out of Egypt. This world is our Egypt, and the only way out is through the narrow gate.

Admittedly, this path is not an easy one to travel. But when I stumble, He picks me up and encourages me along. As I walk through the darkest valleys, He lights the way for me. When I pass through turbulent waters, He keeps me from sinking. When I walk through fire, He protects me. When it storms, I find a safe haven in His shelter. It's a hard road, but I don't have to be afraid.

I don't know about Robert Frost, but I do know that I don't regret my choice at all, not even for a second . . . because I know where this path leads.

. . . because I know that at the end of the road, He is there waiting to meet me and take me home. And for me, that makes all the difference.