The Fork You Choose

As seen in the HEARTBeat and the Village Voice

The Fork You Choose

            There was a man who didn’t look much like a baseball player, and for his time didn’t hit the ball very well as other greats did.  But his almost super-human abilities as a catcher earned him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame.  That man was Yogi Berra.

            Some would say he was one of the most intelligent baseball players ever.  Unlike today where the pitches are called from the dugout, Yogi Berra called all the pitches from behind the plate and was a master at it.  Even though he passed away in 2015, his memory still lingers in the minds of baseball fans for his way of playing, and even more for his sayings that made their way from the locker room onto sports pages of the papers.

            He spoke many quips that on the surface seemed just whimsical.  But at a closer look they had deep meaning.  “It ain’t over till it’s over,” is one still used in the month of October as the World Series is played.  “Baseball is 90% mental, and the other half is physical,” is a testament to how he played the game between his ears.  “You can observe a lot by just watching,” is a statement of how much one can learn if they just pay attention.  But the classic Yogi Berra saying is this: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”  Even though this may seem like the most paradoxical saying of Berra’s, if you look at it deeply, you’ll find the deep insight into life Yogi had.

            Life is full of decisions.  If life were a path, some might be straight, some might curve a bit, but at some time the path will come to a fork.  Encountering such a point requires one to decide which path to take.  You can’t just stand there and halt life dead in your tracks (no pun intended).  You must make a decision, and then live with it.  We encounter many decision points in our lifetime.  Some decisions are good ones, while others may cause regret.  Regardless of the path we choose, the road chosen makes us who we are.  In all practicality, it is our life’s testimony.

            There is one fork in the road that all of us will come to at one time or another, early in life or later.  The fork in the road I’m referring to is the one where we are aware of our sin nature, and there is nothing we can do to absolve ourselves of it.  Our sin must be paid for, and we have no means by which to do it.  There is only one person who can, and He is the one who paid the price for all who will accept Him.

            We all encounter Jesus at a fork on the road of life.  He stands on one side of the fork in the road.  In the world’s eyes, the other path may seem more glamorous.  But I assure you, the beauty of Heaven and eternal life with Christ will be the wisest decision you’ll ever make!