One Saturday afternoon, my daughter was getting ready to meet some of her girlfriends for lunch. When she started her car, it didn’t make a sound. What do we all do when something like this happens? We become instantly frustrated by the thought of something going wrong and causing our plans to be delayed. This is exactly the way my daughter responded. Car problems are the last thing anyone wants to deal with, especially when it keeps you from doing what you want to do.
Jesus Christ tells us in John 16:13(NLT), “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Sometimes, things just go wrong, and some of us are facing situations where a whole lot of things are going wrong at once. Little frustrations, we can take with a grain of salt and keep it moving, but what if your car breaks down and you’ve got kids to get to school every day? What if you rely on your car to get back and forth to work? What if you use your car as a sole source of income? Things can get tight really quick.
One small thing going wrong can have a ripple effect, and some of us panic. Jesus Christ reminds us to have peace. He tells us that in this world, there will always be things that go wrong, but he has overcome the world, and he left us his blueprint.
In Joshua 1:9(NLT), God spoke to Joshua, His servant, and said, “This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.” Jesus Christ is our example of this verse, because he never wavered in trusting our Heavenly Father. He told the disciples in Mark 11:22, “Have faith in God.” This is the attitude and mindset we must have. Life is going to be filled with ups and downs. Things are not always going to go our way, but through everything that happens, our faith should grow in God.
Through all the hiccups, mistakes, and mishaps we experience in our lives, Heavenly Father proves the truth of His power, love, and grace. He tells us in Romans 8:28 that He causes all things to work together for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. As you begin to comprehend this verse more fully, you will understand that sometimes we experience delays because we’re heading down a path we are not meant to.
Unexpected delays in life can be very frustrating, but instead of looking at them as a negative, we need to pause. It could be that we don’t fully have our eyes open, and our delays could be preventing us from making a horrible mistake. We can become so entrenched in our routines that we don’t think to look up. We don’t think to slow down and ask God if we’re doing things His way.
Heavenly Father is all about love and light, and everything with Him is effortless and seamless. This is how my daughter wanted her day to be—trouble free and seamless. God does everything this way because He does everything through His love, but we don’t operate that way all the time. Heavenly Father wants us to move like Him but instead, we think God is supposed to move like us. We must reprioritize so that we’re following God, and not trying to take the lead.
It’s a temptation to see our troubling situations as irritations and obstructions, but we must be ever so mindful that they often teach us spiritual lessons. These lessons are necessary for our elevation and increase in Christ. Recognize that inconvenience and discomfort can also be a sign that God has allowed you to be rerouted. Look under the hood of this. Ask Him for more direction and understanding so that you will avoid more trouble and move according to His Plan for your life. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Rerouting Us in The Right Direction”, written by Kim Times, edited by Reverend Fran Mack, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord! SMS is dedicated to inspiring and encouraging Christian Women through the Word of God.