As I traveled a familiar road toward home, a detour sign
warned me it was closed. Uh-oh, it was a one-way street, and I couldn't
backtrack. My only option was to follow the detour. Hitting the panic button
would only hinder my progress. Instead, I prayed: "Lord, please help me
find my way to the main thoroughfare."
The detour signs were confusing. I decided to make a left
and ended up on a highway I didn't recognize. I again prayed, "Lord,
please direct me."
Often we come across detours in life. They can be marked, "illness,
injury, family problems, job loss, and many other things." As writers, the
different path can come in the form of rejection, negative comments, and
discouragement. How do we handle them? Do we react in fear or turn our focus on
the One who is never lost?
My detour saga? Within a couple of minutes, an exit sign
came up for the road I needed to reach. I didn't care if it was going in the
right direction or not. I could always turn around. Sure enough, the road
headed south instead of north. A simple course correction resulted in seeing
landmarks assuring me I was on the way home.
We sometimes seek the Lord's guidance as a last resort. How
about reversing that order? A detour doesn't have to be a disaster. It can be
an opportunity to build our faith and trust in our loving God.
Writers and Readers: Please
share an experience or insight about handling those detour moments.
Photo Credit: Cristian Jungwirth
Photo Credit: Cristian Jungwirth
2 comments:
Good post Susan, detours are not so scary as they seem (although, I get scared when the gps messes up), mostly I keep going until he picks up the route again. as far as writing is concerned... it seems one big detour, haha, but I have decided to keep going!
"A detour doesn't have to be a disaster. It can be an opportunity to build our faith and trust in our loving God." Thank you for this timely post, Susan--it was exactly what I needed to read today!
After working hard on an assigned article for a magazine I often write for, the editor axed my story, saying it wasn't what they needed. He paid me a kill fee for the time I spent researching and writing the article. But. . . I was sure bummed.
Usually I handle rejection of this sort very well. This time, not so much. I doubted my writing skills, questioned if I should continue writing for this editor, etc. Today the Lord led me to several passages of Scripture, assuring me that I should not give up.
He also led me to pop over here to read your post--a lovely reminder that He is guiding my steps and I need not panic.
Thank you for being his instrument of grace,
Jen
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