Blessings In The Detours

I’m not particularly crazy about detours.  They’re known for being lengthy and slow going.  I like taking the path I’ve planned out and the one I know will get me to my destination with the simplest ease.  Plus I’m usually on a time schedule and detours have a tendency to slow down my trip.  

The truth is we don’t have much control over whether we have to take a detour or not.  Things happen to the road. Repairs need to be made. Sometimes a new road has to be created altogether. 

This scenario is the same in our lives.  We have our lives planned out pretty much since we’re teenagers if not before.  But our lives are full of detours – those unexpected side trips.  Sometimes we encounter detours as a result of decisions we’ve made.  Sometimes we hit a detour through no fault of our own.  Either way they usually throw us for a loop.  

Detours can be muddy, uncomfortable and lengthy.  And unlike detours on a road our life detours tend to be poorly marked.  A lot of times we don’t even know if we’re going the right direction.  This leads to anxiety and stress.  (Unless you’re one of those people who can simply enjoy the ride.)

My own life plan has hit several detours along the way.  Once the initial panic wears off, I eventually remember God is in control and steering.  Like I said – I’m not particularly crazy about detours.  I like knowing my destination and exactly how I’m going to get there.  And I’m especially not big on delays.  But as I look back at all those detours I’ve encountered, I’m able to see the unexpected blessings that came through them.

The funny thing is – we think they are detours when maybe they’re actually the roads God intended for us to take all along.  The roads may not be pleasant that we need to travel but I fully believe they lead to a fuller, more blessed life.  God has an amazing way of turning a chaotic path into a beautiful blessing.

If Only We Didn't Know

I was reading the other day about Adam and Eve and their experience in the Garden of Eden.  They had everything they would ever need.  They were well taken care of and lacked nothing.  I believe they could have lived a wonderful life if only they didn't know.  Know what?  If only they didn't know there was a tree in the middle of the garden forbidden to them.  If they didn't know that tree existed they never would have wondered what it would be like to eat from it.  They would have been perfectly content with what they had - and I mean perfectly.  They were, after all in Eden. 

So I thought about how life would be different for us today if we didn't know about all of the stuff we don't have or can't have or can't do, for that matter.  How would we behave differently if we only had what we needed and knew of nothing else?  Would we long for that new car, new pair of shoes, dishwasher, or washing machine if we didn't even know they existed?  How much of our lives are spent in discontent because we know these things exist?  Why do we always want what we can't or don't have? 

I wonder how much of our days would be spent in sheer thankfulness to God for His provision as opposed to being spent wishing we had more.  If only we didn't know what existed beyond our needs.

I Don't Have The Right To Be Unhappy

Life isn't always how I want it to be. It doesn't always look like I envision it should look. Of course, there have been moments that have exceeded my expectations but there have also been many detours along my journey. You may have gathered this about me from previous writings but I don't care much for detours. It is my gut instinct to stay focused on the path I think we're (my family's) supposed to be on. My energy and attitude are all about getting us back on the right road. I refuse to accept any kind of permanency. In my mind it is only a detour - it is temporary. I know we're supposed to be on a different road and I won't be satisfied until we get back to it.

My refusal to dig in and accept my surroundings wouldn't necessarily be so bad if the detour was only going to last a couple of months (translation: my frustration with life would only last a couple of months). But what if the detour takes a couple of years or more? Or what if it's not a detour at all and it's meant to be a new life path God wants my family to travel? How long will I live in frustration? How long will I live unhappily? The trouble is I'm not really sure how to tell the difference between a detour and a completely new life path. It seems that if I only knew it was a new life path, I could accept it and move on. As it is - I stay in detour mode - refusing to accept.

The truth is - whether it's a detour or a new life path doesn't matter. Either way God still wants me to accept the path He's put me on. He wants my obedience and my submission. He still wants me to focus on Him not my disappointments. He wants my heart to be right. He doesn't want to hear my whines and complaints. I can't change all of my circumstances but I can change my outlook. I can fight the detour or new life path every inch of the way but I will end up disappointing God, myself and those around me with my attitude. God has plans for me (and my family). How can He tell me what those plans are if I'm too busy complaining that we're not on the road I think we're supposed to be on. A person's attitude affects everything. It affects our enjoyment in life, our relationships with others and more importantly our relationship with God.

I think God completely understands our disappointments. He knows there are times we won't like the road we are on but I think He also expects us to get over it. He want us to realize that no matter what detours we encounter we truly have no reason to be unhappy. I look at it this way - God has given me more than I deserve before I was even born. Not only, has He given me salvation (through the death of His son I might add), but He also loves me deeply and passionately. And if that wasn't enough - and surely it is - He allows me to come to Him and have an intimate, loving relationship with Him. Think about it - the Creator of life takes time to be with me - to nurture me - to guide me - to lovingly rebuke me - to listen to me - to mold me - all so that I can be the child (the precious gem) He knows I can be. I am truly blessed by God's enduring and protective love. I may kick and scream when my road takes a turn. But I will learn to get over it. I don't have the right to be unhappy!

The Secret of Being Content

"I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." - Written by Paul in Philippians 4:12

I've read these words many times but one day one word in particular caught my attention. It was the word "secret". My thought was this: 'if there is a secret to being content, why didn't Paul share it with us?' Did he not think this was something valuable to know? Think of all the discontented people out there that could have taken that secret knowledge and made themselves content. I would venture to guess crime rates, suicide rates, road rage incidents, etc. would go down. I would also guess that people would smile more, yell less, and love better. The 'secret of being content' seems invaluable and yet it's buried deep in Paul's mind. Or is it? Maybe we were meant to search for the secret.

I started looking at Paul's life to see if I could figure out what it was that made him content. He clearly didn't travel the path of least resistance. After his conversion experience on the road to Damascus, he could have simply accepted Christ, retired from persecuting Christians, and lived out the rest of his life as a good person. But that would not do for this man. That would not have satisfied him. He would not have been, shall we say, content. Paul went full steam ahead sharing the message of Christ. He endured many trials and hardships along the way (he was imprisoned, shipwrecked, and snake bitten to name a few). We could try to argue that no one could possibly be content in those situations and yet Paul said those words. And I believe him. What was your secret, Paul?

Did it have to do with the choices he made? Life is full of forks in the road - choices that have to me made. Choice A might be less desirable and a little painful. Choice B sounds better. But in your spirit you know choosing Choice A will please God more. That's the choice Paul would have made (over and over). And the reason why, I believe, is because he recognized that pleasing God would bring him greater satisfaction than pleasing himself. Think about when you were a child and you did something that pleased your mom or dad. Or when as an employee you caught the thankful eye of your boss for something you did which wasn't altogether easy. The reward in your hard work was the feeling of pleasure your received in pleasing those who matter to you. And, frankly, who matters more than God? How much greater is that reward - that feeling of pleasing our heavenly Father - the Creator of life itself? Does that feeling make the difficulties we endure on His behalf worth it?

Two synonyms for content (and I think theses are profound) are fulfilled and gratified. I believe those words say a lot about how Paul lived his life. The conclusion I come to in figuring out Paul's secret is that being content means finding your focus in God. It's living your life with an undeniable focus on pleasing God. When that becomes our life's ultimate goal we may just discover it is, indeed, the secret to being content. Referring back to our choices above: Choice B may not necessarily be a wrong or sinful choice - just a different path to choose. Choosing B could very well be good and safe. The difference, however, between the choices we make could mean the difference between feeling "pleased" and feeling "fulfilled". The benefit of one far outweighs the other.