“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 penned these words as the closing stanza of his famous poem “The Road Not Taken“. Lately, I feel I am at my wit’s end of my own “road less traveled by”.
And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. – Matthew 14:28, 29 NKJV
It’s my fault. I chose this road. A few years ago I read the book If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat, by John Ortberg, and I said a simple prayer that started it all. It went something like this:
“Lord, I don’t want to live an ordinary life of pseudo-comfort ‘inside the boat’. Rescue me from my comfort zone and lead me to the extraordinary life You planned for me. I want to walk on water.”
I suppose taking the road less traveled is somewhat like Peter’s steps on the water. Choosing this road means choosing to live a life that is different from what we see around us. (Romans 12:2) It’s standing in the face of fear and continuing to step outside our comfort zones.
For me, it means standing in the face of questioning stares as I trust and wait on the Lord for my mate. It means seeking His plan for my life when everyone else is scribbling out their own life story.
Maybe you’re on the same road. Or maybe, for you, it means raising your children to not do, not watch, not listen to or not say the very things most other kids are doing, watching, listening to and saying. Maybe it means not raising them the same way you were raised.
But when he saw that the wind [was] boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” – Matthew 14:30 NKJV
“Lord, save me!!”
This wind and these waves seem determined to threaten the stability of my ordered steps.
It didn’t take long to realize the road less traveled is a rugged, winding road with steep hills, potholes and blind spots a plenty! Let’s not even discuss the fact that my map interpretation skills seem to be severely lacking. To be quite honest, trying to navigate it all is making me tired. I’m weary. I’m worn. I’m at my wit’s end.
Wit: 1 a : mind, memory b : reasoning power : intelligence
2 a : sense — at one’s wit’s end or at one’s wits’ end : at a loss for a means of solving a problem(taken from www.merriam-webster.com)
However, in this season of severe fatigue, I’m managing to crawl away with a couple of very important truths:
1. Truth is, by definition, my wit represents my mind, my reasoning power, and my intelligence. All of which shrivels to nothingness in comparison to the mind, reasoning power, and intelligence of our heavenly Father.
2. Truth is I’m exhausted, because I’ve been relying too much on my wit (my strength) and not enough on His. My wit is useless without God. Proverbs 3:5,6 teaches me that, as it explicitly advises me to “lean not on” my own understanding.
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. – Proverbs 3:5,6 NKJV
I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. – Philippians 4:13 NKJV
So there you have it. Here I am… at my wit’s end of this crazy road less traveled and I’ve come to one, surprising revelation that, well….it’s the very best place I could be.
“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