There are times that ministry requires me to fly, but there are many times I drive. I do not mind driving, and I am much less likely to be delayed. The invention of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has become a life saver! No more reading maps that have way too many roads to figure out. No more writing down directions or hoping to find the right streets. Thank you to the inventor of GPS!
My husband Gaylon was with me as I was driving to a speaking engagement in Florida. We entered our destination into the GPS and saw an extensive list of directions and many turns on the map. We began our trip, and it was smooth sailing until it wasn’t. There came a point that the GPS directed us to exit the interstate in the middle of nowhere. As soon as we got to the end of the exit, our GPS directed us to get back on the interstate. We chuckled but did not think too much of it.
About an hour later, the GPS directed us off the interstate, through a small town, and into a small neighborhood, only to direct us back to the interstate again. These unnecessary turns were adding time to our trip, time I did not have to give. I had no interest in all the twists and turns. I just wanted to arrive at my destination! Why can’t the road just be straight?
Have you ever asked yourself that about life – why can’t the road just be straight? How about when walking with God? Why can’t I just take the easy path? Direct paths in life are rare. Can I get an amen!
As I walk with God, I want Him to give me direct paths. No curves. No wrong roads. No dead ends. No long, winding paths. There have been a few times I have experienced a straight path, but I have found that when I walk with God, it takes faith to believe He can get me where I am supposed to be.
As I look back over fifty plus years of serving God, I can honestly say that I am glad there were times that God put a curve in the road, got me off the road, or put up a roadblock. I would not have my wonderful husband of fifty-two years if I had stayed on the path I was walking. I would not have seen my son two weeks before he died, if my speaking engagement in Alabama had not been cancelled. After that cancellation, I scheduled a speaking engagement at a conference where my son lived. God gave me a few days of pure joy with Bryan. I did not know that would be the last time I would see him. Thank God for the detours! I could tell so many stories of how things came up that seemed, at the time, to complicate my life, but God had a hand in them.
Paul wrote to the Galatians, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. … If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16, 25, NKJV). The NIV says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” I want to stay in step with the Spirit, don’t you? There is no better way to live than to walk at the Holy Spirit’s pace every day.
In the natural, unexpected interruptions on the path can be frustrating, but God can use them for Kingdom purposes. Are you experiencing an unexpected turn? Invite God to be on the detour with you and trust Him to take You where you need to be. Embrace the detours.
“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV