Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Did you even notice that life isn’t a straight line from point A to point B? Before our boys were grown, I had imagined their paths to manhood. I knew they wouldn’t face easy journeys, but I had no idea the twists and turns those journeys would take.
This was especially true when one son chose to enlist in the military rather than going to college. Of course we were proud of him, but with that pride came the fear of what that decision could mean.
Those fears were heightened as he served two tours in the Middle East. But I learned one thing. None of those challenges caught God off guard. He was the author of my son’s journey. He knew best how to bring our son into the fullness of his potential.
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As I look back on my own life, I see the same pattern. God used the scenic route—full of side-trips and detours to get me exactly where–and when–I was supposed to arrive.
God will drag us to places we think are miles out of the way, making our goals seem further from reach. Then boom, we round a corner and there stands what we were aiming for all along. Or He leads us down a path that leaves us bogged down for months. It’s only when we look back that we see the side-trip was the best way to get where we were going.
It’s often in the detours that our hardest lessons and greatest joys are realized.
