The Forks of Life

 

 

From the cradle to the grave

Decisions must be made,

The road of life is full of forks

At every turn they pervade.

 

Picture a straight road if you will

That’s smooth and also flat

Then picture life and you will find

It’s nothing remotely like that.

 

Life is puzzling from the start

Even at the point of birth,

Bitter and sweet for mother and child

As the child comes into the earth.

 

Even then the forks emerge

Regarding that child’s upkeep,

In a way he decides when he will eat

And when he will fall asleep.

 

This conflicts oft with mother’s plan

Especially during the night

And when she would rather be asleep

Baby is noisy and bright.

 

From post-natal stage to toddler

And then off he goes to school,

The forks become more prevalent

In light of the many school rules.

 

Rules at home and rules at school

Sometimes bring about conflict,

Such is the nature of these forks

That sometimes he even slips.

 

Out of primary and into secondary

Then on to tertiary he might go

But of the forks there is no ease

They come at a greater flow.

 

Decisions are a must

As forks increase in number and in type

And the young adult must manage well

The peer pressure and the hype.

 

Manoeuvers become more difficult

Circumstances manipulate the mind,

The forks are now multifaceted

And the way becomes hard to find.

 

A balance between recreation and work

And the other tensions of life,

Building a family comes into view

And the choosing of a wife.

 

Major forks are in the road ahead

Now more than himself to consider,

Decisions to be made on his behalf

And choices regarding another.

 

Not quite as simple as what to eat

Or wondering what to wear,

Not the mundane things of growing up

But now managing stress and fear.

 

Fear that comes with the competition

Fear of making a wrong turn,

The need to always be ahead

And critical decision-making learn

 

Less time deciding which fork to take

Less time to negotiate,

A decision is a must in the given time

A greater chance for a mistake.

 

Impossible to confront that fork again

And take the alternate path

But a lesson learnt before moving on

May be applied to the following task.

 

 

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

These are the many forks of life

Negotiate them with deliberate care

And hence minimize your strife.

 

Consider now I admonish you

The most critical fork of all,

Take the wrong turn regarding this

And you are in for an eternal fall.

 

There is a road that we must take

As long as Jesus tarries

And the fork we take is critical

To the deciding of our destiny.

 

Accept God’s provision in his Son

And on eternal life lay hold,

Maintain your hold on the devil’s cloak

And you are sure to lose your soul.

 

Stewart Russell © May 2018