Two Roads; Two Worlds; Two Realities

Robert Frost's familiar poem The Road Not Taken concludes,

"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference."

 One thing that's obvious about Robert Frost's poem is that it does speak of two roads, and to me as well, biblically speaking I believe, of two worlds. As was predicted of me by a Native American when I was a kid that I would see two worlds someday. (Read my life story: My Journey Through This Mortal Time.)

And so what are those two worlds--two realities? They are the temporal reality of humanity and the eternal reality: the Kingdom of God.

Jesus (Yeshua) speaks of it as two gates—ways—and how we can enjoy the eternal reality even while traveling through this temporal time.

Matthew 7:13-14

¹³ “You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell^[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. ¹⁴ But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

1. 7:13 Greek The road that leads to destruction.

 

Psalm 1 also discusses the two ways: the way of the wicked and the way of the godly. The Psalm concludes, "For the LORD watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction," (Psalm 1:6). The LORD watches over us in our going.

The two ways/two worlds/two realities have been around since Genesis chapter 3. But it was not so in the beginning. Genesis 1:1 reads, "In the beginning, God created…" and God saw it was “very good” (Genesis 1:31).

But then at Genesis chapter 3, where we read of Adam and Eve being tempted by that evil one to eat of the forbidden fruit; in so doing humanity was cast into rebellion against God.  That evil one having been kicked out of Heaven because of his pride and cast down to earth to perform his deceptive and dastardly deeds among humanity (see 1 Peter 5:8) to try to build his kingdom – a second world, a second reality.  (See Isaiah 14:12-14; Ezekiel 28:12-18; Revelation 12:7-12.)

And so, there it is the two roads/two worlds/two realities in this time, either the broad way or the narrow way. The broad (wide) way is "disguised” – made attractive like it's the easy and most pleasurable way to go (see Genesis 3:6-9 and 1 John 2:16-17). But then, going down that way leads to destruction.

In the movie, The Wizard of Oz Dorothy has to travel the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City to meet the wizard so hoping she can find her way back home.

In my seeing that movie I observed there was another road – a red brick road – parallel to the yellow brick road. Wondering where that red brick road goes,  I imagined another story, where the red brick road represents the blood of Jesus (Yeshua) by which we enter the Kingdom of God and the Holy City. (See Colossians 1:24; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:14, 22.)

I reconsidered Robert Frost's poem and wrote my own poem: 

The Road Taken

Two roads forked along my earthly path,

One like what I've been traveling all my days.

I as one traveler, at that fork, long I stood,

Looking down the other as far as I could

Narrower and winding it was

Hardly any travelers were trekking down that road.

The other (so familiar), broad and wide,

Brilliantly lighted, and voices of joy it seemed --

Sports fans, movies, and TV, the Hollywood craves.

I enjoyed it too for many of my days,

And at that fork, long I stood. Then a whisper,

"Come along now, try the narrow path."

I shall be telling this with a glee

Somewhere strolling along this temporal way:

Two roads forked along my earthly path; 

I took the narrow way. 

Though rocks and ruts and roots there have been,

Trekking with Jesus, the eternal reality in view. 

there is no end.

 

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Tested and Tried

Abraham faces his ultimate test, we see, as we join him at Genesis 22:2, “Take your son,” God says to him, “your only son – yes, Isaac, whom you love so much … sacrifice him as a burnt offering….”

And, as we watch this historic event, Abraham is obedient to God’s call to him. But does he understand it? Does it come easily for him to obey God’s command, he and his wife Sarah have waited so long a time for their own son? Can we Christ-followers today understand the tests God sends our way? how long would He have us to wait? For what purpose? Yet, as the Life Application Study Bible notes, “not to trip him and watch him fall, but to deepen his capacity [toward obedience] … to develop his character. [Likewise,] God refines us through difficult circumstances [which may include waiting].”

As Abraham and Isaac are traveling to the place that God will show, the boy asks, “Father, I see we have the fire and wood, but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”

“God will provide, my son,” Abraham answers. (See Genesis 22:7.)

And indeed God does provide – a ram caught in a thicket. His care, protection, and provision, just as He promises.

Ours is but to trust and obey.

Centuries later, and we're seeing another historic event: Jesus, the Christ (Messiah), knows to trust and obey. There in the Garden of Gethsemane, He prays, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done,” (Luke 22:42)

“When the right time came, God sent his Son … to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his own children.” (Galatians 4:4-5, NLT.) God’s provision to rescue us from our evil, darkened nature; He, too, loved His own Son so very much.

And God so loves us. “Even before he made the world … God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure” (Ephesians 1:4-5; John 1:12 –13; John 3:16.) How great is the Father’s love!

 “This is why we work hard,” writes the apostle Paul, “… for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.”

(See 1 Timothy 4:10.)

Zooming still further ahead through history, we arrive at Horace Allen. Born in Delaware, Ohio, in 1858, he is educated at Ohio Wesleyan University and Miami Medical School in Ohio.

He is appointed by the Presbyterian Church and first serves God’s

Kingdom with his wife Frances as a medical missionary to China. However, because they are bombarded through the night with calls from opium addicts, they soon become dissatisfied with being there.

“Sleep was quite impossible,” he declared.

Agreeing, his wife stated, “Life was made miserable.”

And so, serving less than a year in China, the Allen's are transferred to Korea. Yet, largely

Allen's residence in Seoul, in 1904, 
under armed guard.

due to Korea's way of relating to missionaries, Allen and his wife find no happiness there either. Though tested and tried, even amidst political strife, including Korea’s struggle with Japanese imperialism, the Allen's nevertheless keep at it.

After just a few months in Korea, and perhaps because of having saved the queen’s wounded nephew, Allen is invited by the royal couple to establish a hospital in Seoul. Later, at the request of the Korean king, he serves as a diplomat representing Korean interests in America.  (Allen’s works Things Korean and A Chronological Index relate to his life in Korea and his diplomatic experience.)

In some respects Horace Allen may have failed as a normal missionary, but as author Wi Jo Kang writes: “[He] left behind a rich legacy of Christian witness to political justice....” It was he, more than anyone else, Ruth A. Tucker writes, “Who paved the way for the long-term presence of Protestant missionaries in Korea.”

“When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing” (James 1: 2-4, NLT.)

Information gathered from Ruth A. Tucker’s From Jerusalem to Irian Jaya, Second Edition, and WikipediA.


Coming next month A Good Neighbor

Impressions From The Heart is a self-employed endeavor for the glory of God. If readers of these posts are blessed, challenged, and encouraged to share their faith, thank you for your support via PayPal.