Today’s Post By: Rae Lynn DeAngelis

If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. ~ Anonymous

Before leaving for vacation, my husband and I both make lists of what we need to do and bring. After more than twenty-five years of marriage, we have our vacation routine down pat.

Among other things, one of my husband’s jobs is to make sure that we have our travel route carefully mapped out. With the invention of GPS, this task has become much easier. We can simply plug in the address of our destination, and the mystery lady voices instructions along the way.

Our vacation adventure to Hilton Head, South Carolina began on a Saturday morning. We were on the road by the wee hours of the morning.  A few hours later, my husband cheerfully reported that we were ahead of schedule. Since my husband travels quite a bit for his job, I feel safe and secure when he is at the helm of our vehicle.

Just when we thought we were making good time we found out I-75 South was completely closed down because of a chemical spill. Detour signs directed us to the next exit, which made little Miss GPS extremely flustered.  As we followed detour sign after detour sign, she kept repeating… new route—recalculating!  We eventually turned her off.

When a major highway closes down, it’s a traffic jam waiting to happen! We found ourselves inching along a two-lane country road, bumper to bumper, traveling at a snail’s pace.  We were rapidly falling behind schedule.

Thankfully, my husband never goes anywhere without his trusty atlas. As soon as the opportunity presented itself, we made a U-turn and headed back to town.

Stopping at a gas station, we stretched our legs, got a snack, and mapped out a new route. My husband discovered another country road that would eventually take us past the chemical spill. Two hours later, we were back on I-75, heading towards our destination.

Sometimes life will take us through one detour after another. We rarely see things turn out exactly as we had planned. God uses life’s little diversions to direct us toward His plans for our lives.

“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29:11)

Looking back, the two hours spent taking the detour were actually a lot of fun.  It became one of the highlights of our whole trip. We laughed, joked around, and saw some beautiful scenery along the way.  

The next time life takes a detour, trust God and enjoy the ride.

“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” (Psalm 9:10)

“O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.” (Psalm 84:12)