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.

I’ve always enjoyed the Rober Frost poem, The Road Not Taken.  Every decision is done to the exclusion of all other possible decisions. Every decision is self-limiting. As we choose, we choose against all other possible choices.

As we approach the end of the year, I have been thinking about the things that have made all the difference in my life.

While I could look back at my accomplishments and failures and take pride in them or particular regret, there are no decisions I have made that have been crucial to the things that have happened this year.

What I have learned this year is that God is sovereign. He is in control and we can rest in that fact.

This year I started a new job. I bought a house. I bought a car. I’ve learned more about the loves of God, His Son Jesus, and what the cross really means for me.  I’ve made new friends.  It’s been a big year and maybe the best of my life.

But as I look at all of these good things, I’m reminded of the verse in Romans 9: It depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.

Nothing good that I have received or accomplished this year can I take credit for. I did not seek my job. I did not seek to buy a house.  I didn’t seek anything with any broad reaching goal in mind.

The decision I made that led to me getting my current job was to randomly pick a student worker job off a list of ones in the IT department.  I had no plan to work for Liberty full time or anything else.  I was just ambitious enough to seek a park time, minimum wage job.  Everything that has happened since has been by God’s direct intervention.

The same can be said for my house. At the start of this year I had a great “plan” that included moving into a big house with 6 friends. In retrospect, this was a bad idea. Most of the guys that I had elected to move in with have now moved out of Lynchburg completely.  God had to start a fire in the house we chose the day after I had put down the deposit to change my plans.  Again, his direct intervention.

All of the things that have happened this year have been the result of me, bumbling almost aimlessly through my life, God pushing me to one side, opening a door, and allowing me to have just enough sense to take the opportunity in front of me.

And that has made all the difference…