Genesis- Oh Brother

Friday, August 28th

Two people, two paths, one God. Reminded me of the last stanza in Robert Frost classic poem, The Road Not Taken, Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

One path is the path of perceived rejection. You don’t believe that God is for you, that he is generous, or if you do, it’s because you’ve been good enough or done the right things and pulled the right levers to get what you needed. But when you don’t get it, you rely on yourself, create greater walls and simply put there is no way that God’s intention is to show you favor, grace, love and acceptance. You walk the path of perceived rejection and there is sadness, anger, jealousy, and envy that rattles your life.

But the road less traveled, you can take the path of favored intention. Where you trust the method and timing of God’s generous grace. Because you live with favored intention the
path that you walk is one of celebration, honor, and love, not because you owe it, but you desire to love in return.

In your own words, describe the difference between the path of perceived rejection and the path of favored intention. Which path do you find yourself on more often, and what tends to push you toward one or the other?

Spend some time in prayer around these prayer prompts.

Ask God to reveal where your intentions have been off and to soften your heart toward genuine, first-fruits generosity.

Thank God specifically for his grace -- that he did not wait for you to get it right before offering his best.

Ask for the courage to walk the road less traveled -- the path of favored intention -- even when circumstances make it hard to believe God is for you.