Intersection at Cherokee and Main Streets, Kennesaw, Georgia
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
I have a pet peeve that many of you might share with me: People who are compulsively late to everything. Now before you think me judgmental, I hold myself to the same standard. I strive to be on time for any and all appointments, usually arriving earlier than required. And if I think, for any reason, that I could be tardy, anxiety, necessary or not, is guaranteed to kick in.
For example, I have a dental appointment this past Monday scheduled for 10:10. I leave the house with ample time to spare, or so I think. Whoops! The quickest route to the dentist is closed! Oddly, this road is recently reworked, so I'm stymied by the unexpected shut down.
Shifting gears, as the angst bubbles in the pit of my stomach, I take the detour. Yes, it's much, much longer, and I fear I'll not pull up to the office on time. But to my immense relief, I roll the car into a parking space two minutes early.
Whew! Close one!
That same afternoon, I'm slated to pick up granddaughter, Virginia Rose, from Performing Arts Camp, held at our church, at one o'clock. Blithely, I set out on the same path we take that morning, only to discover that the road crossing the railroad tracks is closed for repair. What??? No trains??? Daily commerce is certainly at a standstill.
Thankfully, I'm well acquainted with the detour I have to take after years of being caught off guard by a passing train, when I'm headed for church, but again, I'm bound to be late.
And I am . . .
The paths I'm forced to travel on Monday are anything but straight. I do make it to both destinations only because I am already familiar with the alternate routes.
But what if I hadn't been aware of my options? What then?
Our day to day lives are often filled with detours; it's so easy to get off track. Yet, when we lean (my word for the year) on our Lord, trusting not in our own solutions but on His, He will, and He does, make our paths straight.
And one day, in God's time, we will arrive at our eternal destination.
Amen!
Two things in your post today, Martha, that do irritate me.
ReplyDeleteFirst: Road works and closing roads for repairs. Why do they always have to close roads for repairs in places where we use roads? Why can't they go and repair roads somewhere far away not often used? Like roads in the desert, or roads on some mountain far away? Why do they need to fix roads in town when I need them to go somewhere?
Second: Being late. I hate being late. Whenever I have to go somewhere I always go there the day before to check how to get there. I drive to the place. Check the way to go. Check parking spaces and so on. Then on the day itself I go to the place in question. Admittedly it is inconvenient when a meeting is at another town, country or continent. I seem to be spending my time travelling backwards and forwards costing me a fortune in transport fares. And when I get there on the due date I am so tired because of all the travelling the day before. I once drove for 23 hours and 55 minutes non-stop and when I got there I was 5 minutes from Tulsa. So I had to get back home to be there on time the following day.
I love your posts, Martha. God bless you.
Victor, you are too funny!!! Think a GPS might do the trick, don't you? Save you lots of time and money - lol!
DeleteLove and blessings!
Detours seem to be a way of life around here as well Martha. I-70 is closed from one side of Indy to the other side. Fortunately, it is only on the weekends although that has just recently become true. The joke is the state flower of Indiana is an orange cone. Life is filled with detours isn't it? Thanks for the insight this morning.
ReplyDeleteThe orange cone the state flower? Lol, Bill, that's a good one! Yes, unfortunately, life is full of detours, some welcome and some not. Thank goodness we can trust in God's guidance system.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Proverbs 3:5-6 is my very favorite! Yes, I ditto your (not so) pet peeve! In fact, I'm the equally-annoying early bird. When I was working full time my motto was, 'expect the worst, and plan accordingly.' Thank goodness that rarely happened!
ReplyDeleteI love this motto, Mevely! Yes, it may sound a bit negative when one first reads it, but it makes perfect sense, especially for those of us who are early birds. We want to be prepared for anything and everything.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I, like you, get irritated when people are habitually late. I often begin to fume, thinking the offender has less regard for my time than his or hers. Thank you for the good reminder that detours happen in everyone's lives. I need to chill out and show grace as I would want grace to be shown to me! :)
ReplyDeleteYes, chill out and show grace . . . We could all practice that much more, couldn't we? May we remember to treat others as we would like to be treated.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Martha, you've once again painted an amazing word picture. Daily life in this fallen world is full of detours. While we may be caught off-guard with those detours, God isn't and He has a plan far greater than ours.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on those pesky construction detours (in Iowa our seasons seem to play out something like this: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction). As far as arriving on time (early!), I'm with you. I'm so known for being early (or on time!) that it's a cause for concern if I happen to be running late for some reason. So, yeah, it can be frustrating when people are ALWAYS late.
Love and blessings!
Kim, I think Bill nailed the same situation in his home state of Indiana a few comments above yours. Harsh winters do prohibit road construction during those months, but summer leaves wide-open opportunities. Is Iowa's state flower the orange cone, too? LOL!
DeleteAnd you are so right about detours - God knows every one we are called to take, and He can always put us back on track when we submit to His will.
Love and blessings!
Martha, My dad was a military man and he taught me, "early is on time, on time is late, and late is unacceptable." Like you, I plan extra time for the unexpected. But here in Southern California, heavy traffic, road construction,detours, and accidents are as certain as the sunrise. Seriously, our main freeway is a crapshoot. Blah! There are times I'm late even with my "cushion."
ReplyDeleteAll that to say, I love your illustration here. Detours are a part of life and God certainly has lessons to teach us in the midst of them!
Beckie, I love your Dad's saying here and I thank you so much for sharing it with me and other readers. Being late is simply not acceptable! But life throws detours in our face when we least expect it, no matter how much fudge time we plan for. Thanks be to God that we can always get back on track with Him! So glad you liked this post, my friend.
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Yes! I am the same way! But you are also right that we all take detours in this journey of ours. I need to work on patience. Do I ever!
ReplyDeleteOh, Lord, Terri, I hear you on the patience end. Sometimes I think I have it all under wraps, but then impatience shows up uninvited, and I'm asking the Lord for forgiveness once again. Maybe these impatient moments are there just for that one reason - returning to and depending upon God.
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I hear you, Martha! Sometimes it's good for us always-10-minute-early types to have an experience or two like you've described to help us be a bit more compassionate, empathetic, and less judgmental.
ReplyDeleteLesson learned!
Exactly, Linda! There are so many ways we can be "high and mighty" in our own expectations only to be taken down by humbling experiences. To me, it's definitely God teaching me a valuable lesson in how I love and appreciate others, no matter what I perceive their faults might be.
DeleteLove and blessings!
Amen! I hate to be late, too! Rev has had people tell him over the year how he is surprising punctual to everything. He always says the same thing - he's not on time ... he's always early. He leaves a cushion for detours and closed roads. Isn't it good news that we can always "lean in" when anxiety strikes and life in unpredictable. Great post, Martha! Blessings, my friend!
ReplyDeleteI guess that puts Rev and you in my On Time Club, Deb. Lol! Danny is the same way; he will always leave 10-15 minutes earlier for an appointment than he actually needs to, so yes, folks call him punctual, too.
DeleteAnd yes, what a relief it is to be able to lean into our God when those detours try to derail us.
Love and blessings!
me too. I hate being late and detours derail me too. What a great lesson in trusting God though. Thanks. Hope you are having a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteGlad to know you're in the On Time Club, too, Jean - seems like more folks than not who commented here feel the same way. Yes, it's been a great weekend so far; hope yours is, too!
DeleteLove and blessings!
ME TOO! Do not appreciate tardiness. It gives you the message, "My time is more important than yours." RUDE! BUT GOD~always teaching us--instructing us~so look for the lesson even in tardiness!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, My Friend
Yes, Lulu, God's lessons are everywhere around us if we stop to look. Still doesn't make me appreciate chronic tardiness in folks, but I can try to be more understanding.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I have the same pet peeve. I try to be early most everywhere just so I'll actually be on time. :) We've had major detours in almost every direction of my house lately, so I'm learning to leave earlier and earlier. I'm thankful that God guides us in the best paths if we'll just follow his lead!
ReplyDeleteYet another member inducted into the On Time Club, Lisa! Congrats! And with you, I'm so grateful that God sets the best paths before us if we will submit to His will and follow His lead.
DeleteLove and blessings!
I kind of enjoy detours... not when I am late, but it takes me off my normal path and lets me get a different perspective. Detours in life on the other hand, I don't like quite as much. Perhaps I should share the same perspective.
ReplyDeleteRyan, I think detours can be God's way of showing us another possible path, one He wishes us to explore more fully. Even though these frustrated me at the moment, I can only begin to understand the lesson God is teaching me in all of it. Frustrated at the time? Yes! Everything working out for good? Yes!
DeleteLove and blessings!