There is nothing quite like a detour in life to help us find our way. Many times, we think that there is only one road we should travel on to get us where we need to go. But then, we find ourselves on a country lane, with the most beautiful scenery. We discover things we never dreamed of finding. We thought we had everything figured out. We thought we had all the answers. And there, in a place we could not have imagined, answers come to questions we never even bothered to ask.
In college, I spent a semester overseas in England, and I backpacked through portions of Europe. Unfortunately, I did not make it as far south as I would have liked. There was a lot of ground to cover!
What were the highlights of that trip? The best part of my adventure had to be the people I met along the way. When you travel to an unfamiliar place, it is the natives that know everything you should see. When you ‘see it’ through their eyes, you get the most wonderful perspective. You no longer feel like a tourist; you have made a new friend, in a place where you are a stranger.
On any trip I have ever been on, the greatest experiences were often the excursions that were not planned, the itinerary that just sort of happened. A local person would suggest ‘a detour’, and that turned out to be the most phenomenal event of the trip.
Life is funny that way. We make a plan and are very set on it. Then sometimes, our plans work out differently. Things do not go the way we expected. In fact, the scenario may be exactly the opposite from what we originally hoped for.
I had my sixtieth birthday last November. It was a wonderful day with family and friends. I did have a big ‘to do’ list planned for my sixtieth year. From what I recall, it was a pretty extensive list!
Unfortunately, in January of last year, I had a major surgery, and then, one thing after another seemed to go wrong. It has been a year of health issues I could not have planned on. Still, despite everything, the year has brought many blessings. Two more grandchildren were born, and I learned many lessons in love. This ‘health detour’ paved the way for my family and friends to shower me with kindness. This overwhelming wave of love has opened my eyes to many things; namely, time is short, and you do not want to waste a moment of it. Celebrate your life and the people that you love!
It is my second year blogging. I started my blog the first year with the idea that if I blogged on a regular basis, it would spur me on to other writing goals…edit the novel I wrote a long time ago, encourage me to write more often, perhaps, finish drafts of stories I had begun.
The first year of blogging I did not venture much into the blogging world. The second year, between bouts of health issues, I began to discover the joy of blogs! Even if I was having a not so good day, I could catch up on a few blogs.
And guess what? The ‘blogging detour’, which started as a means for me to develop good writing habits, became this awesome journey. Again, the ‘excursion’ was all about the people that I chanced to meet. I discovered so many inspirational posts by prolific writers. In the midst of my own ‘health detour’, I found so much joy! And although I did not travel all that much myself, I was able to travel to many places around the globe. How so? I visited extraordinary blogs, which introduced me to places I had never been, sights I had never seen before.
Many times, on a day when I did not feel well, I would read a blog about someone going through the same thing as myself. Bloggers spoke of their highs and lows, the mountain peaks, and the valley below. It helped me to see that better days were coming. I was on a road others had traveled and they had made it through. I, too, would journey with the help of God to a place of healing.
God does work in mysterious ways. I may not always be a blogger, but I thank God for every wonderful moment along the ‘blogging way’. And He knew, much better than I, that it was a journey that I needed to make. Every post I read, every poem, every story, every written line, was part of a life-changing ‘detour.’ My ‘blog people’ had shared with me important stories, life lessons I needed to know, stories of faith and overcoming obstacles.
Thank God for the detours in your life. Thank God for the places where you took an unexpected turn, and that is where the blessings flowed. In the river of life, the best is often around the bend, the blessings you never saw coming!
Proverbs 19:21: “Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails.”
Beautifully and powerfully penned! The Lord has an amazing future and purpose for your life! “You’re not a blogger,” says the Lord, “you’re a gifted and anointed writer who writes blogs, articles, books, novels, and whatever else the Lord lays on your heart!! Back in 2009 while taking a college writing course, something amazing happened. A guy who despised everything associated with English,writing and reading too, noticed something, but it wasn’t until my instructor pulled me to the side and asked me an eye-opening question. “How long have you been writing?” Puzzled beyond belief, I still don’t know how I answered her, but from that day the Lord began to pour words into my heart and caused them to flow from my pen….
Detours, yep, God orchestrates them and uses them amazingly and powerfully to lead us to our purpose and destiny in Him! Lord, help us to keep our ears on your mouth! Lord, please continue to use our heart’s as the parchment on which you write! Lord, please keep bestowing upon us the ability to write Your words. In Jesus name, Amen!!
Thank you so much for sharing! We are called to many things in life. We never know where those callings may lead. As long as we hope in the Lord and have steadfast faith, we follow His direction. Thank you for your prayer…we want to spread His word, His story. Amen! And as you have said so beautifully…we want Him to write His words of love upon our hearts.
Amen Linda!!!
Excellent read, Linda. I am a fellow illness survivor. The last six years has been more than challenging. Each day has become a struggle. I so identify with this post. Most of all, I find in the rear-view mirror that I didn’t travel at all, but rather carried. God’s continuing grip – Alan
I will pray for you in your struggle; I know, as you do, that God is there in the midst of it all. Whatever our struggle, God is there. How blessed we are to know how close He is at all times. How blessed we are to have so great a community of believers that support one another…good times, and hard times.
I loved this, you could be writing from my mind, it is an interesting, loving and supportive community. I also enjoy your writing style.
It is an amazing community! I have felt so blessed by my encounter with other bloggers. I have learned so much this year that I could not have learned any other way.
Great post. Yes, God often has great things in store for us when we take a detour. I have greatly enjoyed getting to know other bloggers as well. It’s a very supportive group.
Blessings abound in the detours! I know God loves to surprise us with things, the way we like to surprise our own children with good things. Even when we are in a difficult space, God can use that space to enlarge our hearts. It is as if He says to us, ‘see, I know you are afraid, but Here I Am.”
So glad you found what so many of us have also found in blogging. While blogging is definitely about posting thoughts and ideas, a big part of it is the people you meet and the places you go along the way. And during trying times, it’s a great base to return to 🙂
Yes! It is such a gift! Often, I will come upon a blog post and it is exactly what I needed to hear. The things I have learned on this blogging journey are simply amazing. And every day, there are new bloggers with new posts, so the dynamics are always changing. 🙂
17 years beyond you in age, Linda, and I’m still so often amazed at where God leads me. And that the destination always arrives when I’m open and ready to be led. That has often been delayed by my own fears, so God works on those, too. One year down as a blogger now, and I’m finally feeling as though I’m hitting my stride, so to speak. It took letting go of my fear that I wasn’t doing it right – or well enough – and accepting that God had already told me that this is what I’m supposed to do now. Use the gift that He’d given me. And like you, I have been just amazed and so blessed by other bloggers who have become a kind of new community of caring and encouragement. Including you! Thank you for overcoming the obstacles that have challenged you, and may God continue to bless you with those surprising detours that are meant to be!
Thank you for your thoughtful comment! Sometimes, it is as though God leads us to a beautiful sea; at first, we do not even want to get our feet wet…and then, we do! We see that He has led us to a magical place with starfish and dolphins, and waves kissed by the sun. It is so easy to be afraid, especially, when we are weak. I often feel God so near in those difficult passages; always, they open to a sea of His love that simply overflows. Life is a beautiful and precious gift when we learn that it is okay to leave the shore, and trust our hearts.
I hope you are feeling better now. Two new grandchildren! Amazing blessings! I still have zero! It makes me a little sad everyday that I am aging without grandchildren, but maybe I am meant to be showering my love on my cats right now! 😉. Happy Thanksgiving!
The beauty of life is that God is always pouring down blessings on us…including our pets! Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Amen to that! Blogging is a detour, in a sense, for me since I’m a writing teacher and an author. But blogging gives me such a great sense of community, friendship, and wisdom. Yes, I enjoy sharing my own stories, but I also learn so much from the stories of other bloggers, like you.
Blogging has been an amazing journey for me…I have learned so much from this whole community of writers. 🙂
Congrats on how far you’ve come — wishing you the best of health as well all joy for 2020 🙂
Thank you! I wish you the same! 🙂