In Michigan, we jokingly say,
there are two seasons – winter and road construction! And with road construction come detours and
lots of them. Can I just say . . . I
hate detours! They’re inconvenient,
unplanned and usually make me late! (Mainly, that’s because of poor planning on
my part but it’s great to have something else to blame.)
I don’t like detours in my life
anymore than I like them on the roadways.
Detours have a way of making me feel like my life is spinning out of
control. Have you ever seen a Nascar
race where one or more cars slam into the side wall and begin spiraling out of
control? You get the feeling everyone is holding their breath until the car
finally stops. I do the same thing with my own detours. I often find myself holding my breath, hoping the damage will be minimal and everything will stop
spinning soon. Detours have a way of
reminding me that I’m not in control.
In my reading of the book of
Acts, I was struck by Paul’s reactions to detours in his life (and he had a lot
of them).
Paul was on the road to Damascus
to persecute Christians when he faced his first detour and met Jesus. Paul had his plans but God had other plans. Paul readily accepted the journey change and
his life was never the same again. He
embraced wholeheartedly the path that God had for him.
From then on we see a Paul that
holds his own agenda lightly and willingly accepts each detour that is sent his
way.
He was thrown in jail and
forgotten for two years but that didn’t hinder him from preaching the gospel to
every person that God brought across his path.
He was shipwrecked and instead of twiddling his thumbs and waiting
around for God to get him off the Island, he shared the Good News with those
who lived there. At one point, the Holy
Spirit stepped in to tell him to go to a different place than what he had
planned. It’s as if, each detour in
Paul’s life was a “billboard” from God clearly showing him where he should go
and what he should do.
I’ve often wished that God would
be so clear and direct with me. There
have been many times where I’ve exclaimed, “God would you just make it clear
what you want me to do and I’ll do it!
Could you send me a postcard or write on a billboard so that I’ll know?”
But taking a fresh look at Paul’s life
has made me understand that just as detours were God’s “billboard” in Paul’s
life, so they are in mine. If only, I
would see the detours as clear direction from God about where He wants me to be
and what He wants me to do, think how much more productive and effective my life would
be! Instead of wishing my detours away, I want to embrace them and live the
life God intended me to live.
Let me ask you, what if your detours are God’s way of telling you that
you’ve controlled things long enough and now it’s time to pry your hands off
the wheel? What if they are His “billboard”
to you? Are you resisting His direction
in your life and wasting precious time wanting things done your way or are you
accepting His plan and following wherever that might take you?
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says
the Lord. “They are plans for good and
not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)
Let go, jump in, embrace the
detours and hold on tight – you’re in for a spectacular ride!
Okay - I had NEVER thought of life this way. Thank you so much, dear Kristi, for sharing this. GOOD stuff.
ReplyDeleteIt took me by surprise too! :)
ReplyDelete