The Road Not Taken
By Robert Frost

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;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

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 traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Our preacher was giving a short lesson before Bible class on a recent Wednesday night. I’d been thinking about my upcoming test to receive my driver’s license. Would the test be hard? What if I failed? What if tomorrow never comes?…Well, what if? I should have been patient and let God handle it all, but once again, I was getting in my own way. I shoved my license concerns out of my mind and listened to Hoby speak. One of the verses he mentioned was Proverbs 16:17: “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil; He who keeps his way preserves his soul.” Now you know the word “highway” had to catch my attention. Coincidence that Hoby used that verse, allowed me think about it, and apply it to my life right now? Um, doubt it. That’s God working right there.

Thursday afternoon came. Three o’clock license appointment. Passed! So that was it? I had my license; it was over. Now, I’m free (with a few restrictions) to go to town and eat with my friends, to pick one up for a youth activity, to see a movie, to just ride. . . . But I got so worked up in the time leading up to it. Why? Because it was something I couldn’t get yet, something that others had, that I wanted so badly! What does that sound like?

You know, Satan makes sin look enticing. He tells us, “Everyone else is doing it, you don’t want to miss out! Hurry!” We want to be a part of it so badly, until …we are. We do what everyone else does. We watch those movies that we know we shouldn’t watch. We say those words. We listen to those songs. We put things into our bodies that could destroy us mentally, physically, and spiritually. What happens after we’re doing it? That’s it. There’s nothing left to long for, to want so badly. We’re just stuck in a rut, alone, wanting a way out, to find something bigger and better to live for. Depressing, huh?

Earlier you read, “The highway of the upright is to depart from evil…” When Satan tempts you, depart; take God’s highway! He provides us a way of escape every time we are tempted (1 Cor. 10:13). When you start to lust after earthly things, run to God. Study His Word. Guard yourself with His teachings. Talk to Him in prayer; He knows when you are weak! By doing these things, it might also be easier to teach those who have not been saved. We have to (but we also need to want to) deny ourselves and our earthly lusts, seek Him first, and set our minds above (Colossians 3:2). Without Him, nothing else we do matters!

So, here I am. New license, a Christian girl. I can either drive through life’s highway, looking for temporary stops and pleasures on earth, and end up ruining my life, losing it all forever … or, I can depart from evil, seek Him, deny myself, focus on my end and eternal destination, and allow Him to preserve my soul forever. Now think back if you can; what did the speaker of that poem do? He took the road less traveled by. What are Christians to do? Enter by the narrow gate, although there are few who go in by it (Matthew 7:13-14). I believe I will choose the narrow road. There, I know I am never alone. I know I always have a Friend who keeps me going, lifts me up, strengthens me, never lets me forget where I’m headed, and loves me. The road each of us chooses can make all the difference. . . .

. . . 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 traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

By Hannah Smith

Are you familiar with this line from Scripture? It was said by Queen Esther (Esther 4:16) when she determined to approach her husband, the king, to plead for the deliverance of the Jews––even though she knew that to approach the king without being summoned meant almost certain death. Ultimately, she chose to be obedient to God, regardless of the possible result.

How often do we disobey God, giving the excuse that the result would be more than we could handle? Or that He wouldn’t mind our disobedience because He wouldn’t really want us to face the possible outcome? But disobedience is disobedience. God doesn’t take pleasure in our suffering, but He tells us that we will suffer. 1 Peter 3:17: “It is better, if it is God’s will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.”

We may not be called upon to suffer the extreme consequence of death in obedience to the Lord, but there are many other “sufferings” we attempt to avoid, which results in our disobedience. Let’s have the obedient attitude of Esther, knowing that to please and obey God is more important than trying to avoid discomfort in this world.

If I lose a friend, I lose a friend.
If they laugh at me, they laugh at me.
If my heart gets broken, my heart gets broken.
If they call me intolerant, they call me intolerant.
If people hate me, people hate me.

If I suffer in obedience to Him, I am blessed.

1 Peter 3:14: “But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.”

By Lisa Grimenstein

Several of the Pierce My Heart staff members wrote short tributes to our fathers last year, which can be read here.

If you need a last minute idea of something special to do for Father’s Day, read this article.

Our fathers, and father figures, work so hard to take care of us and protect us.   This Father’s Day, let’s show them the appreciation they deserve by doing something kind for them and taking the time to tell them how much they mean to us.

Matthew 5:16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. ”

– Davonne Parks

We’re told in Luke 6:45 that “the good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”

This verse may look a little confusing at first glance, but the meaning is actually very straightforward. To show you what I mean, I’ll break it down into three parts.

1) “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good.” That means that if someone has a good heart, they will speak good things. Pure-hearted people say good things about others, and they’re kind.

2) “The evil man out of the evil treasure [of his heart] brings forth what is evil.” When a person has sin in her heart, she will say bad things about other people, or talk about immoral activities (including movies or TV shows), because that’s what she’s filling her heart with.

3) “For his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.” This sums up the first and second part of the verse. Think of it like this: I talk about what I fill my heart with. Are you speaking of pure things––godly things, or are you struggling with angry outbursts and gossip? What do you allow to fill your heart?

As we live our lives to please Him, let’s pray that our hearts are filled only with things that are pleasing to Him, which will cause our actions and words to be pure as well (Philippians 4:8).

By Davonne Parks

Choosing a career path is among the toughest decisions we’ll ever make. A lot of thought goes into it…or not. If you just go where the wind blows, you’ll probably end up in a job that you don’t like, that you aren’t really suited for, and that doesn’t enhance your talents.

To find a career path that’s right for you, analyze the things you do best or like the most. Monster.com has a questionnaire to help you discover your interests, and discusses how to assess them into choosing a career that suits you best.

Now, Discover Your Strengths is an excellent book to read. That book will direct you to a free on-line test which will assess your strengths. I recommend reading the book and taking the test. It claims that no matter what your current age, the results will come out very close to who you will be at any age. I was amazed at how accurate the assessment was!

No matter which career path we choose, we need to always remember to choose one that won’t compromise our Christian principles. We need to be confident in who we are, and in “Whose” we are. Whichever career we choose, it needs to, above all, glorify God (Colossians 3:17).

By Carol Gartman

That statement is often heard from us teenagers, is it not? We all say it from time to time, at least––most commonly, when we don’t really mean it. Someone forgets our birthday? I don’t care! We fail a test? I don’t care! A relationship ends? I don’t care! But often, we do care!

People may say they don’t care to avoid dealing with problems, to look tough and resilient, to keep others from asking uncomfortable questions, or to avoid confrontation. You know the excuses. You’ve said it. The honest truth is, we are human and we care!

The only times, perhaps, we may really not care are when a friend offers a peanut butter and banana sandwich or cereal (two terrific choices!), someone spills something on our old paint-ball tee (it’s already stained anyways), or someone calls you and really needs to talk. Besides instances like these, yes…you probably do care.

Go ahead … don’t care!

There is, however, definitely one never-changing, major important reason to honestly and completely say the words I don’t care: when someone criticizes you for serving and pleasing God. We as Christians know that Christ died for us, and we owe our lives to Him (2 Corinthians 5:15), and there is a place for us in eternity with Him (John 14:1-3).

That’s enough reason right there to tell someone who tells us we are strange, “I don’t care!” We are told plainly that we’ll suffer at times (2 Timothy 3:12). (Read about some of Paul’s sufferings in 2 Corinthians 11.) When we look at the big picture, though, we don’t know suffering like Christ did. At any rate, all of us go through times of strengthening; we are presented with situations in which we can make an impact for Christ, or we can follow the world.

So then, what if:

Your classmate laughs at you when you leave an activity to attend Bible class? Say it then. You don’t have to be mean or rude, just simply say, “I don’t care if you laugh.” In fact, invite them to come with you!

Some kids tell you that you are too uptight, and say you need to loosen up and have some fun? You explain to them why you abstain from those harmful, worldly lusts, but they think you “need to grow up,” and “stop being a baby.” Who cares!? If you are following God’s Word, and striving to be “blameless and harmless” in a “crooked and perverse generation” (Phil. 2:15), then you are obeying Him, and that’s all that matters.

You ask to leave work early to go with the youth group to a singing? Your boss says he will cut your pay that day. (Well, you might not want to say, “I don’t care,” out loud…but think it.) Tell him you will take the consequences, because God comes first in your life no matter what!

Now, care!

Girls, when we show the world that we don’t care what they think as long as we are giving it our all to please and serve Him, they notice! We have to take our trials, and allow God to help us turn them into opportunities to take a stand for our Lord. We need to realize that we can’t care if others think negative things about us when we’re obeying His Word. “Count it joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:3–4).

The next time someone makes fun of you or hurts your feelings because you are trying to please Him, remember––this is your chance to stand for Christ and to shine as a light for Him! The following is a well-known verse that we must never forget: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16). Now that’s something to care about!

By Hannah Smith

Ever notice how convenient our culture has become? This seems to be a great thing; however, if we really think about it, it encourages our impatience. The Bible tells us to be patient and wait upon the Lord. Psalm 37:7: “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.”

In today’s culture, we can easily get caught up in getting what we want, when we want it. One popular car commercial states, “I want it all, and I want it now.” As if that’s okay. If that’s what we want, then it’s normal and we should get it. Yes, it’s nice that we don’t have to wait days for the mail to come to hear from a dear friend––we have email. We don’t have to wait for a late friend to show up for a date––she can call or text us and tell us she’s on her way. We don’t even have to wait long for dinner, since everything can be pre-packaged, and if we really want to, we can just zip through a drive-thru on the way home. No waiting.

But how patient does that make us? How impatient does that make us when God doesn’t do what we want right away? His timing is perfect. “For He says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you’” (2 Corinthians 6:2). In this busy world, where we are tempted to think that we deserve whatever we want, and we should get it the second we want it, we need to remember that only God can see the big picture, and that many times, by our waiting, He is growing us and preparing us for His work.

By Lisa Grimenstein