Finding Your Path

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 first 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. Robert Frost – 1916 (public domain)

Have you experienced the ecstasy of being in exactly the right place? Completing a task that fit your talents and passions perfectly? Ahhh. You know you’re where you’re supposed to be. You know what you’re supposed to do. The satisfaction encompasses everything else.

Nothing beats that feeling. For those who strive to follow the Lord’s leading, I’m convinced this contentment confirms His will. Likewise, the opposite is true when His will isn’t confirmed.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.” Ps. 37:4. When I’m focusing on bringing Him honor. When my whole purpose is to please Him, then He lets me know what He wants me to do. He puts the passion in my heart, stimulates my imagination, and stirs the enthusiasm.

Then sometimes, I find myself trying to force something to be His will. I try to make what I’m doing fit, like a piece from the wrong puzzle, and end up with nothing but frustration. God uses that, too. Likewise, the restlessness I feel bleeds to all other parts of my life. When His hand isn’t on my activity, not only am I gonna be miserable, but the activity won’t be blessed by my involvement and the person who should be in my place has to wait until I move.

For instance, only two people are needed to teach 5th-grade Bible Study. Say I’ve got one of those spots with Anna, but I don’t like the job. My stomach clutches every Saturday night as I plan the lessons. I’m desperately relieved every time one of the lessons end. And when asked why I do it, my answer is that I’m needed there.

Wrong.

Either I’m not serious about trying to follow God’s will, or I’m not needed in that place. If I’m not following, I need to re-evaluate my purposes for everything I’m doing. If I’ve got that step checked off, then I have to remember what delight feels like. Contentment. Peace. Confidence. If my activity is missing those blessings, then all I am is busy.

See, what I don’t know is God’s plan, though He’s trying to help me see it with physical reactions. I don’t know that Bette is looking for her first opportunity of service, or that she longs to spend time with kids since she can’t have any of her own. And meanwhile, I also don’t know that the perfect opportunity, something that I can sink my creative talons into and get excited about, dangles to the point of failure because I’m not there.

I hang on to the wrong ministry for the right reasons, but the reasons aren’t good enough when I’m ignoring what God is trying to tell me. IF I’m serious about working for Him, He DOES tell me when I’m on the right path, and consequently the wrong one.

What is He telling you?