By Rae Lynn DeAngelis
I’ve heard it said, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” So true! In fact, the saying reminds me of a family trip we took several years ago.
Like always, my husband and I make lists of what we need to do and bring before any trip. After many years of marriage, we have our vacation routine down pat. Among other things, it is my husband’s job is to make sure we have our travel route carefully mapped out. With the invention of GPS, the task has become much easier. He simply types in the address to our destination and the mystery lady communicates instructions along the way.
During one of our trips to South Carolina, we were on the road by the wee hours of the dawn. Within a few hours, my husband cheerfully reported that we were ahead of schedule. But then, just when we thought we were making good time, we learned that I-75 south bound was completely closed down because of a chemical spill. Detour signs directed us to the next exit, making little Miss GPS extremely flustered. As we followed detour sign after detour sign, she kept repeating, “New route—recalculating!”
Annoyed, 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 towards town.
Stopping at a gas station, we stretched our legs, got a snack, and mapped out a new route. Gerry 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 takes us through one detour after another. We rarely see things turn out exactly as we had planned. I believe God uses life’s little diversions to direct us toward His ultimate plan 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. In fact, it became one of the highlights of our trip. As we wound our way through the country roads, we laughed, joked around, and saw some beautiful scenery along the way.
Just like our detoured excursion, sometimes life’s little diversions are the most exciting part of the journey.
“O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you” (Psalm 84:12).
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