“And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left.” Isaiah 30:21
As I lie there on the bed, praying about what it was I needed to do next, I noticed the picture hanging on my wall. The sun was shining a pathway into the garden. It was off the beaten path…a detour of sorts.
It’s just a picture, but one that I treasure deeply because it was painted by a precious friend who has been a tremendous encouragement for me along the way.
Now the Lord was using it to show me something I hadn’t ever considered-something I had never even seen in the picture before.
There was a small entry into a lush and beautiful garden just beyond the archway that I had never noticed.
“But this thing I did command them: Listen to and obey My voice, and I will be your God and you will be My people; and walk in the whole way that I command you, that it may be well with you.” Jeremiah 7:23
Isn’t that how we live life? We see the road before us and we take steps along the way, yet we don’t even consider that the Lord may have a little detour for us along the way.
And then it happens. He shines His light on something we might have missed if we were only focused on what we thought was the next step.
The path He has for us may take us places we would have never considered.
It may take us through unchartered territory…a place where we must blaze a trail to make it through to the other side. A place where we discover that the trail we have blazed is so others can come behind us and join a journey you didn’t ever expect to take…and neither did they.
Or perhaps He knows we need a break and He is pointing us to a place where we can enter into a garden of rest. A place just beyond the archway and the shrubbery…a place where we can stop and smell the roses, bask in the warmth of His presence and just enjoy the beauty of knowing Him.
I’m not sure where you are, sweet sister, or what you’re going through-but I know God’s plan for your life is good.
For me, I had to be willing to walk through the archway and begin charting a course for an unknown destination – to blaze a path that would challenge me to do more than I was capable of – unsure of what I would encounter, but trusting the One who is leading me. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s the journey He has me on and I wouldn’t change it for the world!
Maybe He is calling you to blaze a path for others. Perhaps it’s time to stop looking at the easy, well-paved road before you and begin looking to see if He has a little detour along the way designed especially for you.
A detour you won’t easily navigate through, but your efforts will make it easier for those who come behind you.
Or maybe He knows you need a rest and He is calling you to make your way just beyond the archway where you can be refreshed and renewed by the beauty of His presence.
I don’t know what road He has for you. But I know it is paved with His plan and purpose for your life.
The question is, are you so intent on heading in the direction you think He has for you or are you willing to pay attention to the light He is shining on the detours He is calling you to along the way?