JOY ON THE DETOURS... Sunday

Devotional for 9/20/15

There is a saying that a truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.   This always reminds me of a time when we were stuck on a highway in a huge back up of traffic for miles and miles.  There is no other highway connecting the place we were leaving with our home destination.  So we took the first exit we could.  Much to our initial dismay, the paved road ended about 500 feet off the highway.  Luckily, however, we had recently bought a vehicle with plenty of clearance underneath, and a GPS.  So we decided to take a chance on it.  The further we got, the dustier and narrower the dirt roads became, yet every turn and fork in the road were on the GPS map.  So we kept going... and going.  Since we had confidence in our GPS and our vehicle, I started laughing with each new encounter.  First it was a wide spot in the road with one building and a town sign that said "Population:6", followed by a one lane bridge, and a herd of free range cattle in the middle of the road with us!  We were enjoying every minute of it, for a full 20 miles, until we finally found a way back on the highway (which by this time was wide open and moving freely).  I have absolutely no recollection of the other happenings of that day in the city we visited, but I will never forget the detour on Bloody Basin Road (yes, that really is the name of it!)

Hopefully we can keep this kind of outlook whenever we face trials in life.  In spite of the tribulation, if we keep our eyes on our Savior, Jesus Christ, and put our full confidence and trust in him, we can laugh in the face of difficulties.  We will be able to keep moving forward, in spite of not knowing what might be around the next bend in the road.  And our faith will be strengthened along the way.  So when the going gets rough on the detours of life, if we remember nothing else of the trip, remember to be faithful in God's merciful forgiveness, guidance and help to make it through.  And enjoy the scenery along the way! 

James 1:2-3 (NIV) Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  

Dear Father in heaven, thank you for giving me the free gift of your forgiveness and salvation through faith in your son, Jesus Christ.  Help me to remember that I can rejoice in all things, because you are there with me and will never abandon me.  Forgive me when I forget and make the detours more difficult by struggling against them or having a poor attitude. May my faith through the detours be a beacon of hope for others going through difficulties.  In Jesus' name, Amen.

written by Jan Andersen