Night • Dawn • Day

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
– Robert Frost

To me, the road less traveled by is the road to the inner world and the inner life. This is a quiet road that is often filled with loneliness and isolation from the world. There is no fanfare or ceremonial send-off when we choose to embark on this journey. This is a tortuous road with many twists and turns ahead.

The ways of the world seem so tempting and desirable. The world teaches us that we should seek fame, opulence, accolades, and positions of power. Attaining these worldly things makes us feel successful and gives us fleeting moments of happiness. Yet, this world is wrong in too many ways. The truth is, the world itself is illusionary and in this world, nothing gold can stay.

When we choose to give up our worldliness and seek the riches of the inner world, we are often despised and rejected by the world. Our otherworldliness and our indifference to the materialistic concerns of the world cause others to be afraid of us. Yet, as Jesus said, “if you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.” (John 15:19 NIV)

While the inner world is important, the external world should not be neglected either. While we do not need to be in hermetic isolation from the world, we cannot lose ourselves to this world; while we can enjoy the things of this world, we cannot fall in love with this world for that is a form of idolatry. As Jesus said, “do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them.” (1 John 2:15 NIV) In short, we can be in the world but not of it.

With faith, we continue walking on the road less traveled by, however lonely and arduous the journey may be. While outwardly we may seem to perish and decay, inwardly we are renewed and transformed each step of the way.

© nightdawnday
p.s. Leave a comment if this resonated with you. I love to hear your stories!