Which road are you taking?

Robert Frost wrote: 

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference. 

There are two roads that we can choose in relating to others.

The first road is the road of

negativity and blame.  The LOW road.  The second road is the road of encouragement and building up. – The HIGH road.

The news is inherently negative in order to attract an audience. How many of us are tempted to click on a link to an intriguing story, such as “Shocking celebrity secrets we can’t believe.” Or watching a sensationalized TV story “Oklahoma speeder caught going 208 mph?

The recent Election Campaign was as negative and contentious as any we’ve seen.  “liar”, “crooked”, and “racist” were terms spoken from both sides.  Negativity & finding the dirt about a person is “the easy road”  In the campaign this tactic was done to tarnish a person’s reputation and tear down their character.  That is the easy road – wide, well-worn, & wily.  The LOW road.

 Mocking birds

But, the news media aren’t the only ones traveling the easy road.  It’s a natural tendency for all of us. It takes no talent to dig up dirt about a person…We can criticize the media, criticize the government, and criticize our company, bosses or coworkers.  When we do that as a lifestyle, we become just like the people we’re judging: negative and finding fault.  We fall into the same trap of negativity.

Being the oldest of 4 boys, I took it as my responsibility to help my parents keep my younger brothers in line. I grew up being critical.  As a parent, I saw a short drama about a grandfather visiting his daughter at Thanksgiving. He was cynical, critical and grumpy the whole time. He could not relate. There was no resolution at the end of the skit. That was shocking!  The play struck a cord with me. This grumpy grandpa could be me in a few years if I continued being critical. It was a WAKE UP call.

How do we change this life-draining atmosphere to bring unity and healing?   Think of someone you despise or can’t stand. Go head. Do you have someone in mind? You might be thinking of a presidential candidate, but I’m certain there is a relative or former friend whose company you might not relish.  When is the last time you spoke to this person face-to-face? Or do you only know this person second hand – though someone else’s report?

Our words can bring life or death, as the proverb goes: Death and life are in the power of the tongue. The challenge is to dig past the dirt and find the gold in people. This is the road less traveled;  the road of encouragement and building up.  “The HIGH Road”.

Traveling on the HIGH Road” requires two steps: We must 1) Change our thinking and 2)  Act with kindness.

To change our thinking we must accept that

• There IS gold in each person.  No one is “Rotten to the core”.
• Everyone is valuable

This is not difficult to believe if you agree that

• Every person is made in God’s image.
• Each of us is uniquely molded by the Creator.

The next time you catch yourself judging someone give them the benefit of the doubt. You have no idea what that person’s been through. They’re probably doing the best they can.

Maybe like me, you’ve been in the habit of judging first & saying “guilty until proven innocent”. Instead of trying NOT to criticize, Practice the Positive:  Look for the gold. This search may require more than human effort. You may need an inspirational thought from God for the person.  That’s thinking “The HIGH road”

Second, you must ACT w/ kindness.  You can make this a fun challenge. Try these three actions:

1. Expect you will be able to find the gold in the person.
2. Greet them using their first name.
3. Compliment them with an encouraging word as you smile.

If this seems too big a step, try the smile test. Practice intentionally smiling as you pass a stranger, co-worker or estranged relative.  A smile alone can break down barriers and release joy.

I remember walking to work the morning after dealing with a heavy issue that dealt with performing to be accepted.  I was feeling light as the burden had lifted.  I had a smile a mile wide and everything looked right with the world. I noticed how sad, serious, and stressed many people looked and wanted to cheer them up. Greeting someone with a smile can “Make their day”. So I smiled and said “Good morning” as I passed a stranger.  I made their day.

Remember:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and YOU —

You can take the one less traveled by,

  And make a difference in this world. 

Take the HIGH road.

Robert Frost”The Road Not Taken”