Your path may not be straight from point A to point B
As in many adventures, your life may not be a straight line from point A to point B, because that is really the exception and not the rule. Not many people are just, born, go to school, choose a mate and a career and retire. Most of us are doing things a little less directly. And some of us have had a few setbacks, a few challenges, and maybe just a few good old fashioned messes.
Have you heard about little Much-Afraid? She is the main character in the famous devotional classic Hinds Feet on High Places, by Hannah Hurnard. She was a little maiden who had been called by The Shepherd to a journey to the High Places of Love. But often, her way led to shores of loneliness, deserts and even dangers and storms, but in the end she was transformed into the kind of adventurer that could leap on the heights and live in the high places. This book makes the great and beautiful point that even though you may not be in the very midst of your ideal understanding of your life's purpose, God is a Great Shepherd that can get you to the place He plans for you to go, and that even the seeming detours along the way are part of your preparation for the ultimate fulfillment of your destiny.
We all know the situation with Moses proves this point, because we've seen the movie. You remember that Moses was raised in the house of Pharaoh, but then was rejected when he began to identify with his true people, Israel. But all of the things that he learned along the way were used by God in the bigger story that was going on around him. Daniel, the prophet, was kidnapped as a young man, but became a great leader that served several kings. Of course, probably the best picture in the Old Testament of this principle of God causing bad things to turn to the good is in the life of Joseph. Maybe you've seen that movie, too. Time after time Joseph brings blessing and favor with him to a situation, only to be betrayed. First his brothers sold him onto slavery. Then his Master's wife lies about him, accusing him of unwanted sexual advances. Then, in the midst of prison, Joseph helps the prison warden run the prison, and he gets his big break interpreting dreams for the cupbearer to the king. Years later, he finally is brought before Pharaoh and interprets the famous dream and becomes the Prime Minister of the entire nation of Egypt. And everything he did as Prime Minister was what he had learned throughout all those years of obscurity. In the end, his statement about the betrayal against him was, speaking to his brothers, "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.(Genesis 50:20) The Apostle Paul, also betrayed and in danger often, had a similar attitude. He said, "And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to [His] purpose.(Romans 8:28, NASB) So when things begin to unravel from the way you expect them to be, just remember that this little detour is leading to your ultimate destination, no matter how things may appear.
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