The Road Less travelled

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.   "The Road Not Taken": 1920 Robert Frost Verse 1

I started this piece by thinking about Robert Frost's poem which culminates in "the road less travelled". When I looked at the first verse of his poem, it probably sums up my feelings towards working with this concept of silence. As far as I can see the path bends into the undergrowth and becomes difficult. I am persevering but it is not easy. My mind wanders all over the place. My Spiritual Director describes this process, as sitting on the bottom of a river and watching the boats (your thoughts) go over head. The trick is not to get into any of the boats and go away with them. So for me this is very much a developing process, that has meant my road has a few brambles and thorns close to it. That's with only 5 minutes a day!! I am however reminded of the words of Scott Peck who said: "Life is difficult, when you understand that, it gets easier."

I was with friend of mine yesterday and we were praying and talking. A scripture was quickened to us. This was one that had been very important to us, over 5 years ago, when we were both in the same church. Genesis 26:18 " Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died." I think there is a well of silence that has been stopped up over the years. The Philistines of popular culture - and to some extent modern church culture - have filled in the well of "intimate silence". This was an area our forefathers knew about and treasured.

Could this process be an access to the "living water" that Jesus describes to the Samaritan Woman in John 4:14? Peace is the lingering result of my silence at the moment. Can peace be a part of that living water? I was looking up peace in my concordance on my phone and I came across this scripture John 7: 38 "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within them." Jesus also said: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you....." If I have this profound peace, I must have been in the company of the living God. So I should be somewhere along the road towards intimacy.

I continue to travel the road less travelled with God.

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 travelled by,
And that has made all the difference. "The Road Not Taken": Verse 4 Robert Frost 1920