"The Road Less Traveled"
Matthew 7:13-14

by Dr. Michael H. Browder

February 22, 2009

I want to begin by reading one of my favorite poems, “The Road Not Taken,” by Robert Frost. Perhaps you love it as much as I do.

The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost

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.

This poem has inspired many responses. One of the most famous is the book by Scott Peck, entitled The Road Less Traveled. In his book, Dr. Peck talks about what makes us fulfilled as a human being. He speaks from his own experience and from his work as a psychiatrist.

The first thing he talks about is discipline. This should strike joy in the heart of every Methodist. Peck says that discipline is essential for emotional and spiritual health. The elements of discipline are: the ability to delay gratification, accepting responsibility for yourself and your actions, dedication to truth, and a balanced life.

The second topic of “the road less traveled,” is love. We talked about that last Sunday. Love is at the heart of our ability to grow emotionally and spiritually. We really grow when we can pass beyond romantic, and even friendship love, to discover the extraordinary love of God. Peck says that the best love is actually a type of discipline.

Finally, Dr. Peck talks about grace. Can you imagine this: a medical doctor writing about grace? He says that the ultimate fulfillment in life is to discover that which is beyond ourselves: That which we can’t achieve on our own, but which God can reveal to us. This too is a discipline. It is a spiritual discipline. It is a road which all too few people ever discover: God’s grace, which is beyond ourselves.

This brings me back to our scripture today (Matthew 7:13-14) from the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus says that there are two gates we can enter, and two roads we can pass down. One is the broad road, the road traveled by most people. But that is the road without God. It is the road that leads to being lost.

The other road is the road that leads to a relationship with God. This is made possible by Jesus Christ. It is not the broad road. It is not the most popular way. It is not what everyone else is doing. In fact, the Bible says that very few people actually pass down that way.

Why is this the road less traveled? There could be several reasons. For one thing, to let God into your life, you have to let go of some things. Instead of being in control of everything, you have to let God be in control.

That is not easy. The world, which is headed down the broad road, (away from God,) the world says to grab everything you can for yourself. But Christ shows us that we have to empty ourselves, to give up yourself, in order to receive God.

Let me tell you today that you too are looking down two different roads.

One leads towards God, through Christ. And the other leads away from God. And you have got to decide which road to go down. Be careful! It so easy to go the wrong way.

Every person, who is here today, is looking at these two different roads. We have some youth here today, who are just starting out in the Confirmation Class. They are just starting to think about these things: What does it mean to start down that road that leads to Jesus Christ? What will happen if I go down that road? What is that all about?

There are people here who have never known Christ and his salvation. Perhaps they are thinking to themselves: What would it be like if I really committed myself to go down that road?

Some of you have known the Lord for many years. But you have forgotten that, every day, you come to a fork in the road. One path leads you closer to Christ, and the other path takes you farther away. Every day, you’ve got to decide: Which path am I going to take? Which way is it going to be? Am I going to move closer to God? Or am I going to drift further away?

Broad is the road that leads to destruction. It is so easy to run that way.
“But I – I took the road less traveled by. And that has made all the difference.”