Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.
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.
Robert Frost
"Eschatology" is the study of the end -- sometimes the end of everything, sometimes the end of an era that then becomes a beginning for a new age. Many pour over the Revelation of John in order to understand the Christian eschatology of what will happen in the end -- the end of this era, or the beginning of the "millennium," and then the end of the world, which is the beginning of "eternity." There is no end, only a change to another form. Christian eschatology is also about the end of each of us as individuals.
Because there is no end, and "way leads on to way" it seems to me that every decision we make is forever. There is no way to go back, and there is no end. Each choice leads down a different road that goes on forever. When we decide to follow it we never come back, and we can't stop.
No re-do's
As a young single man I dated many girls because I was looking to get married. One day as I was praying the Spirit of God whispered, "I want you to promise me that you will only marry in the Temple for Eternity." Without hesitation or reservation I made that promise. Soon thereafter I met a girl who wasn't a member of the Church, nor did she want to be. However, as we got to know each other she decided to come to church, took the missionary discussions, and was baptized. We began talking about marriage, but she had to be a member for a year before we could go to the temple. Out of expediency I broke my promise to the Lord, and we were married outside of the Temple.
That decision turned-out to make things hard for me. I had chosen an uphill, rocky road. I wanted to go back and do it over, to start afresh, to re-think my position on expediency. However, I could never go back; what's done is done and cannot be revoked.
No end
The other side of this is that there is no end to any of the roads, only forks. There is no way to stop because time marches on. Not choosing is also a choice because you automatically go on as if you are floating in a stream -- not swimming sends you downstream.
Some of those who refuse to swim are called "atheists." The foundation of atheist philosophy is their eschatology: death is the end, which changes everything -- life is to be enjoyed, pain and suffering eliminated, and death averted at all costs. The problem is: it isn't true. I am personally aware of the continuation of life beyond the grave, and that the choices we are making now will determine how we live hereafter; the death of the body is only a fork in the road. Life is forever.
Choices are forever
Thus, every single little choice we make now is eternal in more than one way. My choice to marry outside the Temple changes both my eternity and that of my family. My descendents are in a different place because of my choice. It affects my children, grandchildren and descendents down through the ages -- ad infinitum.
But the "big choices" such as marriage and children aren't the only eternal ones; every little choice leads in a direction that cannot be done over again. We are constantly inundated by choices. For example, this week I decided to stay home and work while my family goes to Utah. What far-reaching consequences this may have down the road is unknown to me. If I had chosen the opposite it would have put me on a different road.
Being blind to eternity, I don't really know where all of my choices will lead me. Out of ignorance I may do things that lead to suffering down the road. Because I cannot fully understand the consequences of my decisions, I think there must be a way to change my path.
Christian eschatology
For individuals, the essence of Christianity is repentance, or change. Whether through ignorance or pride we all make choices that lead to destruction so our Lord provides a way, the only way, we can actually change. We are given the gift of repentance because Jesus Christ took care of the consequences for all of our bad choices. He can take us off the path that we are on that leads to misery, and put us on a path of life!
One day after a great Family Home Evening we were going to bed and my wife casually said, "I filed for divorce." I would have thought she was kidding, but she doesn't joke around. We had had no fights or problems so I was very surprised. One-by-one all the dominoes fell, leaving me with nothing. I lost my wife, my children, the house I had built with my bare hands, my business. Then, my best friend died of cancer. I felt that my road came to an end.
Then, through a series of strange events, I married Karyn, got nine more children, a home, a new business. My path is different. I'm no longer "unequally yoked." I'm now with people who also want to be on the path to Eternal Life. I have love, and I am loved.
God has the power to put us on the straight and narrow path that leads to life as though we had made all the right choices, but He will never force us onto a road we don't want. The only requirement is to believe in Him and desire to change. When we ask for His help and change our ways we are forgiven of our bad choices and the final end of our existence is to live forever: Immortality and Eternal Life.
Thus, "The Road Not Taken" is always available to us through our willingness to: 1) believe that Jesus Christ can change us, 2) repent of our bad choices (confess and forsake them), 3) be baptized, and 4) receive the Holy Ghost, "...And then are ye in this strait and narrow path which leads to eternal life..." (2 Nephi 31:18) Your end can be good in spite of choosing "the one less traveled by." I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christian eschatology!!!
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