“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”
Robert Frost from “The Road Not Taken”
“Still round the corner there may wait / A new road or a secret gate / And though I oft have passed them by / A day will come at last when I / Shall take the hidden paths that run / West of the Moon, East of the Sun.”
J. R. R. Tolkien
New Paths
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
Isaiah 43:18-19
I am a creature of habit, especially when I was dealing with massive anxiety attacks. Anything new could set off an attack. One evening on my way home there was a tree down in the road and an emergency responder was blocking traffic. I stopped and was waiting for them to clear the road, already feeling the anxiety build, when the responder angrily waved me to go on as if I knew what to do. The truth was I had no idea how any of the roads in the area connected because I always drove the same route. I had no idea how to get home, and my anxiety was building. I pulled into a driveway and asked the owner, who was watching the excitement from his yard, how to get around the problem. He gave me directions and five extraordinarily long minutes later I was on the other side and headed home. Sometimes it takes a little nudge to get us to move in the right direction.
Moving On
And the rulers of the people dwelt at Jerusalem: the rest of the people also cast lots, to bring one of ten to dwell in Jerusalem the holy city, and nine parts to dwell in other cities. 2 And the people blessed all the men, that willingly offered themselves to dwell at Jerusalem. Nehemiah 11:1-2
Nehemiah and the people had rebuilt the walls, hung the gates, and made repairs. They had even begun to follow the laws of God again. However, the city was almost vacant in places, so Nehemiah asked people to move into the city from the surrounding areas. There were some volunteers, but in the end, Nehemiah had to resort to casting lots in order to decide who would move back into Jerusalem. Why is that?
Well, of course, there is the whole issue of change. Most people had gotten used to where they were and were content to stay right where they were. However, there were other issues as well. There was a stigma attached to residents of Jerusalem due to its history. While the people were ready to follow God, they wanted to avoid alienating neighboring peoples or being treated badly because of racial and religious stigmas.
Another issue was moving would require rebuilding and reestablishing homes and businesses. This would take an investment on the part of the people, an investment of time and money. Many did not want to leave the security of established homes and businesses. They also didn’t want to put in the work required to make the move viable.
Finally, living in the city probably required a stricter obedience to the laws of God since they would be in earshot, so to speak, of the temple and the priests. People like Nehemiah would always be present to keep an eye on things.
In the end, the ones who volunteered were applauded for their boldness and willingness. However, it required an act of God, the casting of lots, to motivate the rest of the people to make the move into the city.
Forgetting What is Behind
12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. 13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, 14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Phil 3:12-14
When the tree blocked my road home, I found a new path that day. I saw some new neighborhoods, but I would have never gone there on my own. Another time prolonged road construction required a detour for months. I found another new path, again not my own choice. However, new paths are what lead us to new opportunities and where we meet new people. Usually it takes an act of God to move us out of our ruts where we have built protective cocoons, but if we don’t break out of the cocoon, we will never know what it means to fly.
It may take an investment of our time and money, and it will probably require some work, but when God makes the new path it is always worth the effort required. So, when a tree blocks the road, a job disappears, or a ministry changes, look for the new path that God is making for you. Let go of the old and press toward the new. Change is never easy, but it is necessary sometimes to get us where we need to be, and it is always worth it.
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Sometimes, the new requires a lot of courage. Inspiring words Ms. Linda.
Change, change go away! But having a different perspective goes a long way as you so indicated.