The Road Less Traveled

6/11/2024

The past few years have lent silence and stillness for fostering maturity. There have been many lessons learned and an abundance of words I have written but not published — words from the Lord through studying His word, through quiet time and meditation, and in the mundane. These words were unpublished because they were for me first:  for my learning, my implementation, and my pursuit of God. I will admit that at first, my instinct was to document in this blog everything that came to me whereas previously they were contained in my journals. I was actively processing my newfound knowledge and experiences in Christ through this medium. But at some point, I gained wisdom concerning this and recognized that I have no intention of “creating content” nor do I intend for my reflections to assume any performative purposes. I am therefore not obligated to share anything but only as I believe is necessary and may be helpful to someone else.  

And so, today, I reflect and share on the walk of the true Christ follower and child of God in these last days. My thoughts on this are plenty, considering my personal experiences, but are in no way exhaustive. If I can attempt to explain this essence and state of being in words, it will be what Jesus says here: 

“I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” 

- John 16:12-13.

Certainly, this walk with God has been so liberating and refreshing to my being. It is a great joy to know and be known by my Creator intimately! I glorify God for freedom from the bondage of this world and its iniquities. I am thankful for His fellowship and friendship. Nevertheless, I will admit that this walk is not for the faint of heart! Whew!

There is so much truth and direction to glean from the Word of God but the directives for specific steps in alignment with the Word come from the indwelling and leading of God’s Spirit. So, if you find yourself like the rich young ruler of Matthew 19 merely keeping the commandments, you might miss out on the directives of Jesus when He gives you a direction in the path less traveled. 

You see, you will encounter crossroads you have never reached nor can you imagine others ever getting through (although God’s people before us certainly have). 

You will experience depths of pain, rejection, and loneliness that your tender heart in Christ never dreamt of. 

You will encounter tests of your limits and stretching of your capacity in ways you’ve never imagined before and could never have been prepared for. 

You will become hardened against the ways of the world and the status quo — thick-skinned and armor-plated to the max to which others may perceive as you being unfeeling and unloving. 

Ironically, you will weep often as a result of the Father’s burden for people and His compassion within you. In that, the knowledge He reveals to you will bring you much sorrow and grief. The world will no longer be as you thought it was when you were younger. You will understand in many ways what it means for the veil to be removed and for the scales to drop off your eyes. 

Verily, the words of that old hymn, “Amazing Grace” will resonate with every fiber of your being. 

You will become acquainted with many spiritual truths and realities that might even cause others to question your sanity. But you know you are sane and perhaps the most awakened to righteousness (and to our present realities) than anyone else in the room. 

Your demeanor and quiet confidence might come off as prideful to others but you will walk humbly and in meekness towards others and God— not because it is innate to you but because you are dependent on your Maker and continually acknowledge your reliance on Him. 

You will be grateful for God’s righteous rule, His justice, mercy, and love. 

You will learn to abound with nothing, with everything, and in any circumstance. 

You will experience so many other things that mere words cannot prepare you for but can only be discerned by the Spirit of God leading you. 

You will receive awareness of disturbing realities and prophecies that will distress you, and drive you to intercession. 

And to top it all off, you will have to go about the ‘mundane’ of daily living, working, schooling, and completing chores like everyone else — doing things excellently while you carry all of this in you.

Well, friend, this is because you are growing in the likeness of Jesus and have become one with Him. You are sharing in the fellowship of His sufferings and His joys and pains. The religious life you knew before could not have prepared you for the dynamic life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ in which He orders your steps. All this you will learn while you abide in life Himself. You will learn that the matters of life in Christ are not and cannot be scripted neither are they predictable although they are orderly. You will discover that Christianity is not a monotonous routine of some dead tradition or head-knowledge. No, that will never do! It is walking in step with God Himself and in life more abundantly.

I am comforted and deeply affected as I study the life of Jesus, especially in the alone times He sought with the Father. He felt alone although He was surrounded by many. He lived on the validation of the Father in the midst of accusations and lies against Him. He knew His Glory and Splendor and was also aware of his earthly circumstances. He was rich and also poor making many rich. He knew what was in man and could see an individual’s eternal profile in a given moment and yet He loved deeply. He was moved by compassion and incredible zeal for God, full of grace and truth. He was often burdened but always yielded His will to the Father. He was righteous and perfect and zealous to establish the Father’s righteousness and love in sinful men. He was a man of many sorrows, afflicted many times even by the Father’s perfect will and good plan. He was acutely aware of the depraved and pitiful nature of humanity, aware of the weight of glory and the persistence of the principalities wherever He walked. And He pleased the Father even amidst these complexities.

Jesus’ life reveals to us the walk of the true Christian and the many paradoxes one experiences. When we say “yes” to the Lord’s leading at first, coming through godly sorrow and repentance, we have no idea of all that we have said “yes” to. Nevertheless, the Father is committed to our becoming, and our faith in Him, regardless of the unknown, is valuable in His sight. And indeed, our faith becomes our sight. The path of light in Christ is extraordinary because it is incredibly different from the darkness of this world that we were previously accustomed to. It is not easy but God is faithful and upholds all who trust Him. 

As the Shepherd guides our souls, sometimes, just sometimes, the desire to run back and seek shelter in the familiar can be great. And sometimes, it is not even the desire to run back to Egypt that overwhelms us but rather the unreasonable desire to guide oneself through the wilderness terrain. There are times when you want to be “at ease” like everybody else but are reminded that “you are not everybody else.” You are no longer blinded by the god of this age and have true freedom in Christ. You can see and hear the things hidden in God and His word. You have become set apart not by some attempt of yours to be distinguished but because you have become like He who called you— Holy. But He will keep you from stumbling as you communicate in honesty with Him, being still with Him and letting Him work out the troubles in your heart. It is in the secret place that you’ll obtain strength from Him.  

And so, in all my reflection I have shared only a bit which I hope is helpful to someone. I pray you are encouraged. The road less traveled is so, not because God intends to make it difficult for no good reason but because we need to forsake what we’ve grown accustomed to in this world to be able to walk it. Truthfully, it is the path to our true identity — to the person God had in mind from the beginning of time. The road less traveled is beautiful and worth it. You will come to know why as you journey on. Blessed are all who know THE WAY.  Blessed are all who find Him. Blessed are all who abide in Him. Amen.