Another major detour entered my life in the past month, and I had to wonder: God what are you doing? Another obstacle on the path? Another twist in the journey? Another delay?
Do you find yourself asking similar questions?
Sarah Kroger, FAITHFUL, and Savannah Locke wrote a beautiful song about this called “The Detour” and it touched my heart at this time. It speaks of life detours and the doubts and emotions in the waiting journey, but also the truth about God who is good, kind, and close and who fosters hope and does what is best for us even when the way is long, slow, and doesn’t come easily. It encourages us to “trust that the detour is the road.”
Detours on roads are part of our life. They catch us off guard when we’re traveling and we have to find our way around them. They can be annoying, frustrating, unexpected, and delay our trips a bit. They may even get us lost from time to time! But they are inevitable and we need to embrace them as part of the journey to get where we’re going. Detours are often the product of something broken in the road that needs fixing. That can be true of our lives too.
But every detour eventually leads to our destination. Doesn’t it? No matter how winding it is or how much longer it takes to get there. That can be a source of hope for us when a detour happens.
How do we cope with the detour? 4 suggestions:
Anticipate. Rather than expecting the journey to be easy and clear, anticipate that there will be some roadblocks.
Accept. We can get annoyed and frustrated but it won’t change the reality of the detour. We may as well accept it for serenity sake.
Trust. Recognize that the detour always eventually leads to where we are going. It is just a delay on the journey. Often, it’s meant to clear an obstacle or heal something broken.
Ask for Help. Navigating the detour can sometimes require asking for help from a wise GPS, fellow traveler, or someone who’s familiar with the area. The same is true of our lives. Wise counsel can get us around the detour and back on the road to our destination.
Reflect. Maybe there’s a bigger reason for that roadblock. Reflect on what it may be. It has a purpose and a meaning for you to uncover.