Have you ever been in a hurry and hit a detour? Recently, I had an early morning appointment and I headed off down the freeway only to get to my exit and an unexpected detour. Instead of being able to turn left, I was forced to turn right. Frustrated, I followed the detour until I could turn around and head in the direction I needed to go. As I approached the same area, now on a different freeway, I was again forced to detour onto the same freeway I had been on before all this started.
I will spare you the turn by turn outcome but the short of it was I had to travel eight miles out of the way to get to where I was headed. I was beyond frustrated but I still made it on time and no crisis ensued. But it reinforced a life lesson I learned years ago – always give yourself extra time to get to important engagements just in case life has other plans. Life is full of unexpected turns and interruptions – we can try and foresee them and plan accordingly but the reality is, we can never forecast every interruption. If we could, they would cease to be interruptions.
As I have thought about that experience, I have been reminded that detours, unexpected twists and turns and interruptions are going to happen. We cannot avoid them but we can try and let God work through them. Often, God allows these interruptions to get our attention and remind us to slow down and remember we are on His path – not our own. We like to think we can control every detail of our lives but it just is not so.
I encourage you to embrace detours and interruptions by stepping back and asking the question, “What can I learn from this experience?” I am not suggesting God causes the detours in life but do know that He will redeem each one when we let Him.
Detour Ahead – – are you ready?
Clay in the Hands 