Detours: We all have experienced them. We usually sigh or become frustrated when we see the sign. We usually don't have time for them. Usually we see "Road Construction" signs first and then the detours. Most detours followed carefully will take us right back to the spot we were trying to get to before we were sent another direction. Sometimes a sign is missed and we end up at the other part of town if we don't know where we are going.
This week, while going to an appointment with my daughters, we saw traffic backed up for a long distance. I said, "remind me when we leave, we want to go another way". We did just that. The appointment was at a location neither one of them had been to before, and since they are still learning how to navigate with driving, I decided to test them a bit. I asked them how they would have gotten home if I wasn't along. They both decided going through downtown would have been their choice. So, we headed downtown. We didn't get very far, when one of my daughter's said,"hey that is the way Dad said I should go tonight when leaving for camp". She would be picking up a few friends and having to go through the city to get the route number she wanted. We no sooner saw that, when we saw "Road Closed". Detour. Her heart sank. She became very concerned what she was going to do. She didn't know another way to go. Only the way her dad told her to go. I told her to relax and remember I was driving and I knew how to get us home. I even told her, we had extra time, lets follow the detour signs and see where they go. She liked that idea and we followed. They brought us right out to the spot she needed and she felt much better knowing it would be fine. I smiled at her and said, you know what, I just got my thought for this week's blog.
We normally wouldn't have gone to that branch office, but it fit the time slot we were in so we picked it. We would never have gone through the city, but there was some sort of traffic issue. I call those things, God Appointments. God knew my daughter would need to be on that same road in a few short hours, with friends and she wouldn't have known what to do. He knew having her go through with me as a test run would help her relax and be ready for later that night.
God takes us on detours. Sometimes we don't know why they happen. We plan our day, we study for tests, we prepare for responsibilities, we have done all we knew to do, yet on the day we are to go, a detour. The detour could be the car doesn't start, you wake up sick, your meeting you planned for weeks, is cancelled, or maybe a friend/family calls and needs your urgent help so you cancel. There are many detours. How do we respond to the detours He places in front of us? Do we sigh, become frustrated and angry? Or do we recognized as He has promised in His word to us, He knows the plans He has for us and He knows the things we will say and do before said and done by us?
Another reminder I had this week, is that God is always in the details. As I have written before, I have chickens. This week, I had to sell a few that were getting older. I wasn't looking forward to this, but knew it needed to be done and I knew families would be blessed with food. So, this week, was the week. Five of the eight that I sold I knew had to go, because of age and lack of laying. The other three I had to choose. I was not looking forward to having to catch them and taking them out, but as I said, it had to be done. Two of three were bad. They would fight or break eggs. I knew who they were and marked them with bands, but catching them among 24 others was not going to be easy. I prayed and asked God to help me do this. He knows my heart and the love I have for his animals, yet, I know animals are also a source of food. I also asked Him to help me "catch" the right ones. Some of you may think that is silly to ask God for help like that. God has much more important things than chickens. God is more concerned with the lost. God is working on world issues. All that is true, but you know what, He is also our Heavenly Father and He cares about the smallest details of our life. He wants to help us, no matter the size of the request. I have learned the little prayers that He has answered, made the biggest growth in my relationship with him. I woke up several times during the early morning worried about how I was going to do this. As I headed to the hen house, I prayed again and felt peace. You know what, when I walked in the two I dreaded the most, were sitting in the nesting boxes! All I had to do was reach in and take them out. No chasing, no stressing, no worrying. I still hated to see them go, but God helped me let go and realize the bigger picture. He does care about the details. He makes us have special interests, talents and gifts. He doesn't give them to punish us or make life difficult. He helps us in the weakest part of our gifts/strengths. I love animals, I hate to see them die, but I understand the cycle of life and I understand it needs done. He was there in the details of my morning. He was also in the details at church this week. Each night I helped with a camp for kids. Each day we had 90 degree weather that left me tired and have some sort of headache, but I had committed to it and knew I needed to be there. You know what, every night, when I opened that door, I felt better and made it through the night with no issues. I know He was giving me the strength to do it. He is in the details.
My challenge to you this week is do you look for God in the detours and trust Him with the details, regardless of the size of the situation?
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