A Fork in the Road

As seen in the HEARTbeat and Village Voice

“A Fork in the Road”
“When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” This is one of many famous
quotes from none other than the great baseball player for the New York Yankees, Yogi
Berra. This didn’t surprise most of you as he probably came to mind when you read the
title of this article. Another of my favorites is this one: “You’ve got to be careful if you
don’t know where you are going, because you might just get there!” This is obviously
true, but if we took a look at Mr. Berra’s quotes we would find a lot of simplistic wisdom
in them.
What do you do when you come to a fork as you travel down life’s path? Some,
as the poet Robert Frost would advise, take the road less traveled. It is the one less
beaten down, the one traveled by few people, and probably the one which is not safer. In
business, people try to find something that sets their business apart from their
competitors. I learned a long time ago, much like taking the road less traveled, is to find
something others are unwilling to do and focus on it. The effort you exert which others
are unwilling to apply will pay dividends. Just ask the very successful business owners
what set them apart and they will tell you they took the proverbial road less traveled.
Is there a spiritual road less traveled? Is there a particular fork or path you should
take? The writer of Matthew writes this in chapter 7, verses 13 and 14: “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.” Sounds a great deal like the advice from Robert Frost, doesn’t it?
The world would say, “Follow me down this easy path. Many have taken it and haven’t
been harmed.” This sounds so tempting, because it is. The world would want us to
conform and just go along to get along with the masses. Conversely the Apostle Paul
wrote to the Romans, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is
– his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
When we come to a spiritual fork in the road along this journey God has for us,
make sure you, as Yogi would say, pick it up. Then converse with the “Road Builder” to
see which way He would have you go. His is the road less traveled in our present day
world, but it is the only road that will lead you to His glory! Remember, if you don’t
know where you are going, you just might get there!!