Our human nature encourages us to plan. We like to think our plans will keep us organized, on track......and ultimately, in control. I've always said I'm more of a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of gal, but at the end of the day, I still have the "big things" planned in my head. I may not need to have my day planned out hour by hour, but I like to think I have some sort of an idea of where I'll be five years from now. I like to think five years from now I'll be married with a couple children and that I'll have everything figured out career-wise and financially. Oddly, I said that same thing five years ago. Where did I end up instead? On a detour...
What is the definition of a Detour?
"A long or roundabout route taken to avoid something or to visit somewhere along the way."
OR "Take a long or roundabout route."
Now, before I get into the beauty of detours, let me explain: I did not welcome this unforeseen detour with open arms. At the time, it pretty much contained the opposite of everything I wanted. I resented it, I hated it, and I basically prayed that God would lead me back onto the road filled with good happy things. I wanted beautiful mountainous scenery, but instead I looked around to find "do not enters," stop signs and "waiting benches." I tried to ignore those warning signs so many times. I wanted my way, and unfortunately God's way wasn't matching up with MY WAY at the moment. I sat on that bench with my arms crossed, while I'd watch other people get what I thought I deserved. I became preoccupied with the "whys," the injustices I had experienced and the unfairness of my situation. With my frustration in full force, I tried to fight for what I wanted in my own strength. I made some choices that would keep me in the wilderness of life......but before I was even born, I believe God knew the choices I would make along the way. His plan never left me and his patience never left him.
However, something funny took place while I was sitting on that "waiting bench." Though I became a little weathered from the storms of life, I became stronger than I ever imagined. I gained wisdom, courage and a faith that I never had before. I met a lot of people on that bench which I otherwise probably wouldn't have ever met. Those meetings led to some of the best times of my life. What's more? I was able to relate to those people, able to help those people, and able to make divine connections which would lead to bigger and better things. In return, I was able to meet some people who once sat where I sat, but had turned their trials into triumphs. That bench humbled me in more ways than I can count. I realized I didn't know it all.....in fact, I knew nothing about what the future would hold. Then I realized God's plan was bigger than me....and more than I could ever imagine or fathom. Why would I even try to fully understand the one who had overcome the world and conquered the grave? As Proverbs 3:5-6 asks us to do, I decided to simply trust in him and lean on his understanding....not my own. I had to start believing he would make my pave my way.
Though the storms didn't completely subside, I had more opportunities come my way than I ever planned on. I had set out for one major path in life, but God had intersected far more people, places and gifts into my life than I ever thought possible. If I had continued on "MY WAY" forever, I would have been settling for mediocre and far less than his best. I wouldn't have been able to witness the beauty of the domino affect or the way he connects all the chains of life. I was able to sit back and to recount how so many great moments in my life came to be.....but had I not been on that detour, not many, if any, of those life-defining moments would have taken place.
There's still a lot that I don't know.....but I do know that I no longer resent detours. What seems like detours are really God's ways instead of our ways. Detours are simply what happens when you abandon your will for his and let him drive your vehicle. I've come to find that you'll find more opportunities on the roads you never expected to be on than on the straight shot you planned to take. God's Detours ultimately lead you to bigger and better than your original plan. Let detours challenge you, let them change you, and don't forget to look around while you're at it. Listen to the people you meet and learn from the places you go. Detours aren't setbacks.....they're actually setups........for something greater.