Detours: Divine Delays?

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
    your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
    Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Psalm 138:8 (NRSV)



 

Growing up, we took lots of road trips.

We had cousins to visit who lived in Georgia, Florida, and sprinkled throughout North Carolina.  

 

There were three things we knew before taking any road trip. 

 

Photo courtesy of raleighhappeningmag.com

1.       Never travel on Sunday. If you did, you’d more than likely run out of gas. Gas stations were not only few and far between, but also closed on Sundays. These were the days when folks went to church, came home, ate a big meal, then sat on their front porch rockers and relaxed. 



 

2.       Never leave home without a roadmap. Since there were no GPS devices to rely on, Mom was the navigator and Dad drove. (Every man needs a navigator on a road trip, and you know why!) Mom carefully plotted a course to our destination and marked it with a large X on the map. Then when the inevitable, “Are we there yet?” rang from the backseat of our Chevy station wagon, she’d open the map and demonstrate how much further we had to travel. (This usually occurred in five minute intervals.)    

 



 3.   Detours are inevitable. Every road trip consisted of at least one detour, a little hiccup on Mom’s carefully plotted course. There’d be that sign leading us on some alternate route through the middle of no-where, throwing us off course, and knocking an hour off our arrival time (This drove Dad nuts!). Despite the inconvenience, we eventually arrived to our destination.   

I could insert a fourth one here concerning how restrooms were few and far between too, and the necessity to carry a port-a-potty: the mayonnaise jar. But I’ll spare you the details.

Do you feel life leading you down some lonesome detour?

 

Be encouraged my friend, because…  

Photo by Gary

 

1.       You can travel on Sunday. There are plenty of gas stations. God wants to refill your tank. He wants you to relax, take time for yourself, and enjoy your life.

Several months after my granddaughters moved in, I quit my job and my volunteer work. Keeping up with a two- and a three-year-old zapped all of my energy. Raising little ones after your children are grown takes a major adjustment. Trust me, it ain’t easy!

About a year after the girls moved in, I took a part time job at my favorite gift store, Vanda’s. I loved the owner and had been a regular patron there for years. Vanda’s provided me the opportunity to work in an environment full of pretty things, gourmet chocolates, and divine fragrances. (It was girly heaven!) It also provided an outlet to have a breather a few hours a week. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my granddaughters but I also craved adult conversation and interaction apart from The Wiggles and Sesame Street.

2.       God has supplied your GPS: the Bible. In it, He promises you were created for a purpose (Jeremiah 29:11). He instilled each of us with desires and aspirations. Jesus cares. Your passions matter to Him.

There were lots of days I wondered if I’d ever have a “life” again. After all, I’d raised my own children, and now my grandchildren, too. About a year after I started working at the gift shop I accepted a part-time job (that later evolved into a full-time position) working in children’s ministry at the church I attended at the time.

Next, I began pursuing a passion of mine I’d had since the 5^th grade. Writing. I joined a local writer’s critique group, Word Weavers International, and began writing articles, short stories, and even started this blog.

3.       Detours are inevitable, but your destination is still attainable. Just like when I was a kid traveling on vacation with my parents, we’d find ourselves taking some backwoods detour, yet we’d always arrive at our destination. A little later than expected, but we’d eventually get there.

Sometimes detours are meant to get our attention.

For instance, look at Saul’s life on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9)

God knows where each of our paths will ultimately lead. Your detour could be God’s divine way of protecting and redirecting you down a better path.


Photo courtesy of foreveryyoungadult.com

Get your fire back. It's not over until God says it's over. Start believing again. Start dreaming again. Start pursuing what God has put in your heart.  -Dr. Farrah Gray

 

How about you...

 

Has your life taken a recent detour?

 

Does your life feel on hold, or your plans delayed?

 

I want to hear from you.

To learn more about my adventures of raising my two granddaughters, scroll down and continue reading previous posts. 

Be sure and leave me a comment! I want to know what's on your mind. 
-Beth

P.S. If you liked this post, please be sure to click on the Top Mommy Approved Blogs icon at the top right of this page.


 

 

 

 

An Interrupted Life

 

Interruptions.

They can throw a monkey wrench into a carefully thought-out plan.

 

They can be a nuisance and downright irritating at times.  

They’re never convenient. They come without warning. But one thing’s for sure, those bothersome hiccups will occur throughout the course of any given day.

Interruptions occur in many forms.

 

Pic courtesy of The Chief Alliance

Mom’s can especially relate. For instance, when you’re on the phone with the repair guy and little Billy loudly clamors for your attention, “Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! I saw a bug!”

Another example, when your boss summons the staff to a spur-of-the-moment meeting and needs that report you’ve been working on – ASAP! 

An interruption can be a crisis.

 

 

Two years ago my husband, Tom, was admitted to the hospital. Unknown to him, he was a walking time-bomb. He was treated for extremely high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (A-Fib), a blood clot behind his heart, and major artery blockages that required a couple of heart cauterizations and two stints. Thank God, he has since recovered beautifully and leads an active life; but his little interruption certainly gave us a big unexpected scare. (Read more of Tom's little interruption here.)

An interruption can be an opportunity.

 

Hurricane Sandy -- Pic courtesy of United States Adjusters

 

Hurricane Sandy was the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. It killed 117 people in the U.S. Although it was a horrific tragedy, it was also an opportunity as scores of churches, relief organizations, and people from all walks of life, rallied their support.  

An interruption can be a divine intervention.



Pic Courtesy of Free Bible Images

 

You know that kid in the Bible with the fancy coat whose brothers hated him and sold him as a slave? Well, Joseph’s life was one eventful interruption after another.

Joseph was:

• Cast into a pit
• Sold as a slave
• Falsely accused
• Thrown into jail

 It certainly wasn't God's desire to see him thrown into a pit and sold as a slave, but God used Joseph's series of cruel interruptions to save an entire nation from famine. It also accompanied a beautiful reconciliation between a lost brother and his estranged family.

 ⁴ Joseph said to his brothers, “I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 But do not be troubled or angry with yourselves because you sold me here. For God sent me before you to save your life. ⁶ For the land has been without food these two years. And there are five more years without plowing or gathering. ⁷ God sent me before you to make sure that your people will keep living on the earth. Now many of you will be saved.” Genesis 45 (NLV)

An interruption can be a blessing.

 

Pic courtesy of timemanagementninja.com

 

 

I know lots of grandparents.

 

Many recently retired. Planned and saved for years. And looked forward to traveling and enjoying their golden years together.

Then, the detour occurred. It altered their life's' course. It also altered the course of their grandchildren’s lives.

When grandparents take in their grandchildren they are often intervening in a bad situation.

These folks are unsung heroes in my book.
 

If you’re a grandparent selflessly raising your grandchildren, know this: your life has only taken a detour. You’ve not reached a dead end. This may not be the road you envisioned taking at this point in your life, but like Joseph, God had a plan in the midst of it all.

Instead of being frustrated, view interruptions as opportunities to be a blessing.

How was your day?

I'm sure you experienced interruptions. Perhaps the phone rang while you were washing the dishes. Or, a friend stopped by for an impromptu visit.

I want to hear from you. Did God use you to encourage or bless someone today?