Casandra Martin

The orange traffic cones were everywhere. Construction signs warned us about lane changes, closed roads, and detours. I groaned as my friend steered the car into the opposite lane than the one we wanted to be in. The long way around.

I could see my destination, but now the path was blocked. We would have to take a different route, drive in unexpected places, go an unfamiliar way, and take extra time getting there. I looked at my watch and growled. I was tired and in a hurry. This was not my plan.

I glanced over at my friend expecting to see my frustration mirrored on her face. Instead, I saw a smile. “I’ve never been this way before,” she said. That is when I understood. I viewed the detour as a burden. She saw blessings lined up in those orange cones.

We are all going to face detours. The path we have mapped out becomes blocked, broken, or bungled.  Family struggles, health problems, job concerns, faith questions, or money worries become big orange signs that demand that we change direction, alter our path, adjust our plan, or just move out of the way. Sometimes the detour comes from God Himself. He opens a door of opportunity, closes a door we had been counting on, or just points us in a way we hadn’t expected to walk. Either way, how we choose to see those detour signs has a dramatic impact on our level of joy.

My Jesus Resolution today is to count the blessings in my detours. Detours are not dead ends. They may not be the path I expected, but they are roads on which I can experience the presence of God. In the detour, I have the chance to see new things, learn new lessons, experience new joys, and trust in new ways. God has already been down the path I am walking. He already knows and is prepared for what lies around the corner. I can grumble about the detour or determine to see Jesus in every orange cone. I am going to travel down this road one way or the other. Am I going to do it with grumbling or grace?