I recently found an outdoor labyrinth that is open to the public. I stood at the entrance and tried to walk through it with my eyes first. I kept losing my place and hit dead ends or turns that took me back toward the entrance. I laughed out loud as I asked myself why I was standing there trying to plot the entire path when I could just take a step to start the journey. That made me think of the way I live my life. I’m always trying to plan the entire journey instead of just taking one step at a time and trusting that God is leading me.
Instead of fearing detours, delays, and dead ends, I could accept and even embrace that they are part of the journey. Sometimes, they can even lead to something better than my original plan. Not always, but that’s when I remind myself that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called to His purpose. Romans 8:28 I also remind myself that there’s a difference between my good and the highest good. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord.” Isaiah 55:8 It’s undoubtedly easier said than done, but I try. These verses help me, as well as two of my favorite quotes. They are “Life can only be understood backwards; but must be lived forwards.” Soren Kierkegaard and, “Our limited perspective, our hopes and fears become our measure of life, and when circumstances don’t fit our ideas, they become our difficulties.” Benjamin Franklin. If I’m still feeling stuck, I remember what Sister Carol often asked me, “Which way do your feet face, Patricia?” That usually helps me take a step forward, even if it’s just a baby step. I remind myself that God can do a lot with a little. If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.” Matthew 17:20
But the practice that helps me the most when I’m at a dead end or detour is remembering when God has transformed them into something better. Many years ago, as I was just starting my career, I was offered a dream job. It was a job that I would have been lucky to get mid-career, so I was beyond thrilled! When I told my mom about the offer, she asked if I had prayed about it. No, I hadn’t even thought to pray about it. How could it be anything but an incredible blessing? I accepted it. But I kept thinking about my mom’s words, so I prayed and asked God for His will. I also told God that since I had already accepted the job and notified my current employer, if His will was different, He would have to take care of it. I just wanted God to rubber-stamp and bless what I had already decided to do. But, shortly after that prayer, I found out that the company had decided to go with someone else. I was devastated. It was Christmas Eve, and I cried as I drove to church and then sat there with tears streaming down my face. But as the service continued, an inexplicable and incredible peace filled me. I had no job and would soon have no place to live as I had also notified my landlord that I would be moving to a different city. Yet I felt complete and utter peace. It was a tangible feeling of God’s love and protection, whispering trust in me.
My current employer offered me my old job, and my landlord had yet to rent out my apartment despite the very tight rental market and the usual waiting list for a unit in that complex. She commented on how strange it was that someone had yet to rent it. I knew it was not strange at all. I remembered telling God He would have to take care of everything if the job I had already accepted was not His will. Our merciful God did just that. I have learned to ask God for His will before accepting a job.
A few months later, I got an even better job offer. But that wasn’t the best part. The dream job that had fallen through was in California, where I lived at the time and across the country from my family. I had desperately missed being with my mom, grandmother, sister, aunts, uncles, and cousins. The new job was back home just blocks from where my mom and grandmother lived in New York City. When I told my mom about the new job offer, she wasn’t surprised. She said I had a feeling God was going to bring you back home, and that’s why I asked if you had prayed about the job in San Francisco.
Six months after I moved back, my mother had to have open heart surgery, and I was able to be by her side every day instead of flying home for a week or two. Three years later, both my mom and my grandmother passed away. My mom was still relatively young and it was totally unexpected. I got to be with my mom and grandmother the last three years of their lives. It was one of God’s greatest blessings.
Writing this post has blessed me again as I remember how faithful and merciful God has been to me. It has inspired me to write down all the times that God has turned what looked like dead ends or detours into something better. My prayer is that we all take the time to reflect this Lenten season on the times that God has turned dead ends, wrong turns, and detours into something better. After all, we are journeying toward Easter when God turned the ultimate dead end into the ultimate victory turning death into everlasting life!
I’d love to hear and share your stories on the television show that I host on the Mental Health Television Network which was launched on March 4. If you would like to share your story, please email it to yourstory@mhtn.org
Shared by Patricia Wu
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