Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer. Simon and those with him tracked him down. When they found him, they told him, “Everyone’s looking for you!” He replied, “Let’s head in the other direction, to the nearby villages, so that I can preach there too. That’s why I’ve come.” (Mark 1:35-38, CEB)
We finished the graduation season a few weeks ago, perhaps the most memorable that any of us have been through. Our hearts broke for graduates and canceled commencements! But commencement speeches still took place. President Obama spoke to high-school graduates and graduates of historically black colleges and universities. Oprah Winfrey shared reflections with Chicago high-school seniors. Tom Hanks gave a speech to those graduating from Wright State University.
Commencement speeches are often decorated with both congratulations and challenges. The speaker wants to inspire these (mostly) young adults as they go out into the world and will often draw on metaphors as a way to make their message stick. The image of a journey or road is a popular one to share and one of the most memorable examples of this is from the poem “The Road Not Taken” written by Robert Frost in 1915. You’re probably familiar with the last three lines: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I–//I took the one less traveled by,//And that has made all the difference.”
How many have been inspired by this image of the road less traveled? It’s the stuff commencement speeches are made of. Blaze new trails! Take risks! Ford unexplored streams! But when I read the whole Frost poem a few weeks ago, there were lines at the very beginning that I’d never paid attention to. The poem is four stanzas long. Here’s the first stanza:
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;
I was particularly taken with the phrase, “long I stood/And looked down one as far as I could.” It reminded me of a passage I had read from Mark the day before. In Mark 1:38, Jesus says, “Let’s head in the other direction, to the nearby villages, so that I can preach there, too. That’s why I’ve come.” “Let’s head in the other direction” reminds me of taking the road less traveled. But back up a couple verses to v. 35 and notice what Jesus does: “Early in the morning, well before sunrise, Jesus rose and went to a deserted place where he could be alone in prayer.” Or, as Frost notes, “long I stood…”
Taking the road less traveled and heading in the other direction are both inspiring sentiments. But we would be wise to follow Jesus’ lead here and first spend intentional time in prayer and reflection. Why am I taking that road? Is the Spirit leading me? Have I shared this with trusted friends?
It can be inspiring to watch (or be!) the person taking the road less traveled. It’s also helpful to know that before taking that road, the person was prayerful before heading out on the journey.