The Road Most Traveled

"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" from "The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost In Louisville, Kentucky, it is not the road less traveled that made a difference but the ones that have been traveled the most. For example, there is Lexington Road which can take you all the way to Lexington, and Bardstown Road which meanders till it reaches Bardstown. Of course, Shelbyville Road stretches across the state till it encounters Shelbyville. I bet you are catching on with these road names, aren't you? What is rather intriguing, I am told by the true Louisvillians, is that once you reach any of these cities, the very road you are on becomes "The Louisville Road". (Pronounce that L'Ville, please). I find this rather quaint and a bit odd since we moved from Southern California where the transportation department makes the decision where to put the road and what to call it. A few remnants of Californian heritage lingers on the road signs but not much. Here, the heritage had its start long before railroads and automobiles paved the roads. All of these roads started off as being less traveled and developed their well-worn paths through countless travelers just going from one farm to the next. In fact, many of the changing directions of the road were to go around this farm or that barn or some natural landmark and ended up creating an interesting pattern and much confusion to transplants especially when each road also had its companion "Way", "Avenue", or "Court". It required an investment into a Tom-Tom for my sanity and to save on gasoline expenses (the city Lexington is over an hour's drive from Lexington Road in Louisville). My husband's driving adventures are affectionately known as "Daddy Shortcuts" and rarely are shorter. All of these roads started out "less traveled". Then another person followed and another till it was the very easiest way to go--because there were less obstacles or it was a surer path or a diner sprung up for the hungry teenage boys. Yes, Kentucky does boast some freeways but these other roads are still well-traveled. The city government has tried to relieve this problem with an intricate system of lights and parking restrictions while maintaining the small town feel. The roads struggle to contain the cars that frequent their paths and drivers take many liberties in interpreting road signs and double yellow lines (aka--congestion and too many accidents!). I am not proposing that bulldozing homes is a better option than installing complex stoplight systems to deal with new traffic patterns. But I am reflecting upon the difficulty of traveling a well-worn path that has become clogged with many other travelers. It served its purpose once upon a time but the other demands are now making the travel less effective and a distraction to the purpose, at least for me. Rather than be frustrated with the roads, I think I shall reflect upon how God takes each family down the path that is right for that family. Our road is not going to look identical to your road. However, I clog up my path and detour around the wrong landmarks or I make complex adjustments to problems or I ignore the laws to get past a hardship. Two other dangers lie before me: Traveling the Most Traveled Road because everyone is using it and it is easier to move along or Driving the Least Traveled Road no purpose except to explore it and to be different. God clears out my path to draw me to Himself. Most of all, Jesus meets me on the road and shows me how to walk, run and drive safely to the Father.