Driving the streets of Dallas, one becomes familiar with the need for street repairs, and the demolition, and the reconstruction of them. Each can be annoying all in its own way. Let’s face it, driving on potholed lined streets just isn’t ideal. Hitting enough potholes over time can wreak havoc on your suspension and in some severe cases, cause your tire to pop! The day eventually comes when we see the signs of construction soon to take place. You’d think that we’d be happy that the repairs were going to be made and the issues finally addressed, but we all too often begin to complain. Why is that? Sure, we want to be able to drive along smooth roadways, but we also don’t want to be inconvenienced. We know good and well that for reconstruction to take place, the demolition of the old is needed. With that, all the process behind it comes with it. Road closures, the noise of jack hammers to break apart the old, the dust and debris removed, and the new concrete will need to be poured and set to just name a few. And just like that, delays and detours are inevitable. Sounds a lot like life to me.
There are necessary processes that need to take place to steer the trajectory of our lives in a new direction, but we are reluctant to the delays and the rerouting of our original plans. All the questions start to rise within us. Why now God? How long is this going to take? What all is going to be involved? Are we okay in just getting by with a patch job to speed this process up? And God in all His goodness, is gracious and patient with us. Believe me, you know we’ve said and thought worse when it comes to talking with Him. You won’t catch Him off guard. What He is asking of us is to trust the process.
Real quick note here, keep in mind also that the detour you may experience, could be a result of a choice or decision you made. Ouch! I know. We don’t ever like to admit fault but I’m telling you there is healing and freedom in being able to do so.
As a creature of habit, change is not my favorite thing. But there is irony in my statement because I love to rearrange my furniture often to get a fresh feel of the space. In life, we know something different must occur for change to happen. Albeit in our space or personal growth, change will happen. God sees the beginning and the end to each of our stories and there will come a time when we’ll be rerouted. Either by His hand or the choices we’ve made in life. What I love about this though, is that He is always going to work things out for our good. We may not understand it whole we're in the thick of things, but hindsight is 20/20. He can’t put new wine in old wine skins without it being wasted. So, we go through the reconstruction process, a refinement if you will. Just like in the life of Joseph.
God gave Joseph two dreams. In one dream it showed the work of him and his brothers in the form of them binding sheaves of grain and his brother’s sheaves bowed to his. Instead of Joseph tucking that dream into his heart he blabbed it to his brothers. They took offense! Keep in mind that Joseph was already not liked by his brother’s due to the fact that their father favored Joseph more than them all and was not shy about it. His father signified this by giving him a robe of many colors.
Later, Joseph had another dream and shared it with his brothers and his father and mother. This time, the dream showed the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to him. Signifying his family yet again.
When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, “What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you?” Genesis 37:10
For his brothers to hear that they'd be bowing down to him yet again, that original offense morphed into resentment and after that second dream it ultimately sprouted into hatred.
Seeing how Joseph was a little immature, okay, let me rephrase that, the dude was spoiled and arrogant, he would wear the robe of many colors in the presence of his brothers who were already mad at him. This led to them conspiring to kill him, stripping him of his coat but ultimately selling him into slavery by a merciful act of one of his brothers.
Talk about being detoured! Joseph not only found himself detoured but uprooted from home into a foreign land and detoured multiple times throughout this story before seeing his God dream come to pass. There’s a word right there for you my friend. If God gave you the dream, He will see you to it coming into fruition.
For Joseph, betrayal, falsely accused, forgotten and imprisoned were a few of the detours he had to take. Each delayed him years. Keep with me though. The Lord was with Joseph so that he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master [Potiphar] saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Genesis 39:3-4
You still have a purpose my friend. Despite what you may see in the confinement of your imprisonment. God is in the detours and the refinement.
Joseph didn’t just sit around doing nothing or complaining about the detours, he worked, and he worked well. Long story short, there came a two-year famine that made the neighboring nations come to Egypt for food. Joseph’s brothers came and didn’t recognize him as he was now in a position to feed many. Once making himself known to his brothers, instead of harboring hurt or anger against his brothers, he blessed them and their families. But they had all reason to believe that Joseph would hurt them or perhaps kill them for what they did to him.
Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 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. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. Genesis 50:19-21
Can you say, refinement complete? His arrogance and immaturity had been purged. There was no boasting of position or flashing of hierarchy, there was no anger or hatred for the wicked deeds they did, just grace to bless.
Just like Joseph, don’t give up or lose heart my friend. Don't grow complacent in the hard place. Keep doing your best. Be present and continue to have vision for where you are going. Get ready to be a blessing. God isn’t finished with you and these detours are necessary for the refinement to take place. Yes, your once straight shot path is now inconveniently rerouted down other roads but keep looking for brightly colored God signs and directions so you can get back to the main destination. Your path is not your own but it’s one for the saving of many people.
Your detour story is for His glory.
Currently detoured for His glory,
Your little pearl - Perlita