Detour

"When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter." Exodus 13:17

This was one of those things that stuck with me from our Exodus study. As the Israelite people were leaving Egypt, they could have taken a straighter path towards home than they way they took, but God had other plans for them. He took them on a much longer, much more winding journey than the straight one they could have taken. The reason given in the Bible was that the short journey went straight through Philistine country, and God thought that the Israelites would see the giants and decide they preferred Egypt to facing the giants. And reading on and seeing all the challenges the Israelites faced...God was certainly right. Exodus would have been a much shorter book in the Bible.

Life though, is really just like the journey the Israelites take. We all grow up with dreams and ideals of how life is going to be. We graduate from high school and expect to go to college, get a good education, followed by a great job. Along the way, we might even meet our husband or wife and get married and start a family. Somewhere in there is the first purchase of a home, car, and all the grand things in life. And life would certainly be easy if it took that path, wouldn't it? If we could script out our life and follow it, we could maybe say that life is rosy, that it's been good to us. But where was it that we grew? Where was it that we went over an obstacle that really made us stretch and learn? When we end up following a different path, a much more difficult one than we had planned, we can take it into perspective and remember the Israelites. Every time our path takes an unexpected turn, it's an opportunity to learn, grow, and become a little more mature.

People who climb mountains for entertainment certainly don't always choose the easiest mountain to climb. What would be the point of that? There would be no challenge- and thus, no victory at the end worth celebrating either. We can keep that in mind, keep that perspective that once we have overcome whatever is facing us, we have reason to celebrate, because we persevered, and we are better people because of it. When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, and when you find your dreams and ideals not quite as simple as you thought they'd be, relish the opportunity to tackle life head on. You know you are not alone in your journey, and when you get to your destination, you will be closer to your Heavenly Father than you ever thought possible.