When God Takes us on the Scenic Route

http://m4e.com/archive/index.php/t-152547.html

 

Do you ever ask yourself, "Why am I here right now? I want to be elsewhere, doing something different. I don't understand this season." We all have dreams, aspirations, and many of us certainly feel like God has called us to a mission. So why the lag? If God has a plan and a purpose for our lives why doesn't he just get us there?

Many times I look at my life and wonder how certain seasons fit in to God's plan. To me the puzzle pieces don't fit. I know God is ordering my steps, but I feel like he's leading me down some detours.

I graduate this May and I have always felt like I was supposed to be a counselor. Then just a few weeks ago God blatantly asked me to go a different route and pursue social work in graduate school. I was so frustrated. God what are you doing!? Why didn't you tell me this three years ago? I'm so unprepared! I really battle God on this for a while and God simply told me "I'm am still leading you to my destination, I have chosen to take you on this path for a reason."

This word has been a hard message to swallow but I know God is in control and no experience is lost with God. I can't help but think of Moses and his exodus from Egypt. God lead his people through the dessert to the Holy Land. It was always God's purpose to take them to the Promises location but why did he take this normal trip and make it last 40 years?

Clearly there was a quicker route (as indicated in the orange), but God took them on a much more difficult journey. We may look at this and think that this was the Plan B, but the purple route to God is the best plan, Plan A.


So why does God choose to lead us on the Scenic Route so-to-speak? There may be many answers to your particular situation but here a few...

1. The Experience

You may not be where you want to be right now but take a moment to consider what great life lessons you may be experiencing. Even if they are difficult life lessons, they could be very useful down the road.
I think of when I did a month long mission trip in India. During a few points on my trip I remember wondering why God had asked me to go. Sometimes I felt like I wasn't making a difference,  or that I was a burden to others. Sometimes I made cultural mistakes and had to be corrected and that was hard. I began to doubt God calling me on this trip. Now I look back on that trip fondly because I see all that i learned, I developed great skills and knowledge about missions, culture, and just life in general. God had me there for a reason, though it was hard, I still use these lessons today.

2. Dependency 
 Just like the Israelites who journeyed out of Egypt had to learn to depend on God, so do we. This lesson is valuable but difficult to learn. We often bicker with God for being brought to hard places but often times this is the best place for us. We are learning to lean.
God may have you in a place/season where you feel like you don't have control over anything, and that's  scary feeling, but God is using this loss of control on your end in able to show you He has control. We don't like our dependency to fall on others, but we can be assured of God's dependability.

http://www.seemonterey.com/things-to-do/attractions/scenic-drives/

 

 

3. Timing
God's timing is an oddity, it will always keep me wondering.  God may have you on the scenic route in order to get you to your destination at the right moment...whenever that may be. 
Currently my fiance and I are on the scenic route  and wondering if it is because of God's timing. We get married this July and even though i graduate this May, he will have another semester left due to us transferring from a secular college to a Christina University. My degree transferred easily (psychology) but he chose to go in to ministry which obviously would not be offered at a state college. Anyways, so we are having to put our futures on hold and go back to the university (which is 13 hours away from our hometown) so he can finish. I don't know why it's working out this way, but I'm hoping it's for a reason. We don't want to get to our destination too early, nor too late. We just have to trust that God's timing is best.

4. For the View
A scenic route isn't a scenic route without a glorious view.  If you're gonna be on the road, might as well enjoy the journey. What does God want you to see in this in-between? Insight? Relationships? or just God's greatness? Either way, just enjoy!

http://everypixelcounts.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/enjoy-the-ride-rebranding-slow/

 

 

 

 

 

So whatever the reason or this strange trek, just enjoy the ride!