{"id":38824,"date":"2021-01-28T19:09:40","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T01:09:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?p=38824"},"modified":"2021-01-27T16:10:36","modified_gmt":"2021-01-27T22:10:36","slug":"the-road-not-traveled","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/","title":{"rendered":"The road not traveled"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><i>Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. \u2013 Psalm 119:105 (NKJV)<\/i><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It seems that many are truly frightened to enter 2021.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Some believe that 2020 was so bad that they dread going into a new year not knowing whether the coronavirus will still be a big problem.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Recently, it was reported that Bible sales are up throughout the country as people seem to be searching for answers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As we read our Bibles, we learn of many times throughout history when there were plagues, wars, dishonest leaders, and other trials.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Yet, God is still in control and His Word is still true.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It is sad to see so many who have never learned this fact and seem to live in constant fear afraid to make resolutions or set goals due to the \u201cuncertain\u201d future.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It would be nice if more people knew that answers to life are truly in the Bible.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As we each set our goals for the coming year, let us first examine the goals we already have.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Actually, we each have goals already that we may not realize. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The question is whether they are the right goals.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>The goals we have as adults affect our child rearing.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Some have goals to please others and not cause friction.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Some have goals to gain power.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Some have goals for their children to become big stars in sports, etc. Some have goals to be rich.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Some have goals to have a beautiful house.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Some have goals to \u201ckeep up with the Joneses\u201d.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Some have a goal to \u201cjust get through the day\u201d! We could go on and on.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>These goals may not be written down or spoken, but they show in our actions and determine our choices.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Whatever our goals, they should be in accordance with God\u2019s Word.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Goals to please the world and please God at the same time cause conflict within us.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Why?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>It is simply impossible!<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>God looks at things in a different way from the way the world sees them.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>God looks at the heart.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Man looks at the outward appearance.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We have to choose where we want to spend our time and effort.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Pleasing God is the only one that pays off in the end.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">How can we get this fact across to our children if we don\u2019t understand it ourselves?<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>As children listen to parents express fears and make comments, the tone of voice and words we use stick in their minds and affect their behavior.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Our children become confused when they constantly have schedules changed or hear fear in the voices of adults.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>On the other hand, they can experience peace and confidence around adults who, themselves, have learned to rely on God and His Word.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">As we think ahead into the coming year, let us remember that God loves us.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>Some of us have lived through smallpox, polio, tuberculosis, measles, etc.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>We will never have heaven on earth.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span>That is why we need to do all we can to lay up treasures in heaven! The Bible shows the way down this \u201cnot traveled\u201d road! <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As we think ahead into the coming year, let us remember that God loves us.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":60,"featured_media":38827,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":"","_wpscp_schedule_draft_date":"","_wpscp_schedule_republish_date":"","_wpscppro_advance_schedule":false,"_wpscppro_advance_schedule_date":"","_wpscppro_custom_social_share_image":0,"_facebook_share_type":"","_twitter_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type":"","_pinterest_share_type":"","_linkedin_share_type_page":"","_selected_social_profile":[]},"categories":[38,5,99],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The road not traveled<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As we think ahead into the coming year, let us remember that God loves us.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The road not traveled\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As we think ahead into the coming year, let us remember that God loves us.\u00a0\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Pathway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"http:\/\/facebook.com\/mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-01-29T01:09:40+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-01-27T22:10:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/montana-4660390_1280.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"682\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Pat Lamb\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@mbcpathway\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Pat Lamb\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/\",\"name\":\"The road not traveled\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/montana-4660390_1280.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-01-29T01:09:40+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-01-27T22:10:36+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b5163cb17763b920772c559bc38aa72d\"},\"description\":\"As we think ahead into the coming year, let us remember that God loves us.\u00a0\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/montana-4660390_1280.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/montana-4660390_1280.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":682},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The road not traveled\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/\",\"name\":\"Pathway\",\"description\":\"Baptist &amp; Christian News\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b5163cb17763b920772c559bc38aa72d\",\"name\":\"Pat Lamb\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58cc74c552260522bc0420544ba558f8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58cc74c552260522bc0420544ba558f8?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Pat Lamb\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/author\/pat-lamb\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The road not traveled","description":"As we think ahead into the coming year, let us remember that God loves us.\u00a0","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The road not traveled","og_description":"As we think ahead into the coming year, let us remember that God loves us.\u00a0","og_url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/","og_site_name":"Pathway","article_publisher":"http:\/\/facebook.com\/mbcpathway","article_published_time":"2021-01-29T01:09:40+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-01-27T22:10:36+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":682,"url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/montana-4660390_1280.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Pat Lamb","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@mbcpathway","twitter_site":"@mbcpathway","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Pat Lamb","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/","name":"The road not traveled","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/montana-4660390_1280.jpg","datePublished":"2021-01-29T01:09:40+00:00","dateModified":"2021-01-27T22:10:36+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b5163cb17763b920772c559bc38aa72d"},"description":"As we think ahead into the coming year, let us remember that God loves us.\u00a0","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/montana-4660390_1280.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/montana-4660390_1280.jpg","width":1024,"height":682},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/2021\/01\/28\/the-road-not-traveled\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The road not traveled"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/","name":"Pathway","description":"Baptist &amp; Christian News","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b5163cb17763b920772c559bc38aa72d","name":"Pat Lamb","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58cc74c552260522bc0420544ba558f8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/58cc74c552260522bc0420544ba558f8?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Pat Lamb"},"url":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/author\/pat-lamb\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38824"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/60"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38824"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38828,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38824\/revisions\/38828"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38827"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mbcpathway.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}