Detour, Not A Dead End

A dead end is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.” Image credit

A dead end, according to a dictionary, is “an end of a road or a passage from which no exit is possible.” According to another dictionary, it is “a situation, plan, or way of doing something that leads to nothing further.”

Screenshot from Merriam-Webster online dictionary

There were times in my life when I thought I was in a dead end. 

Impasse. No way out. Caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. I was like Moses. There’s the Red Sea in front of me and the Egyptian army behind me. Only this time, I can’t part the sea. 

I failed. Many times. My dreams became a nightmare. And my nightmare came to pass.

(Of course, I can always blame others. The fact is, it’s not entirely my fault. But why waste time blaming? So, I’ll just take responsibility for where and why I failed.)

I got burned out. I got myself into stress-related disorder when I pressured myself so much because I always pushed for nothing below A-minus grades (For me, “A” is greater and “A+” much greater) in my seminary classes. Simply put, it was pride. That led to a lot of heartaches on my part. Pride led to stress, then stress led to wrong, foolish decisions. I came to a point that I no longer wanted to become a pastor. I waved the white flag already.

Image credit

And I thought I’m done. It’s over. For me.

But, it appears as far as God is concerned, it’s not over. I’m not yet done. I’m not over. I’m not over till He says I’m over.

It turns out what I went through is what we can call a detour.

A detour is “a change of direction” or “a long or roundabout route.” Image credit

A detour, according to a dictionary, is “a change of direction” or, in another one, “to go along a way that is different from and usually longer than the usual or planned way; to make (someone or something) go in a direction that is not planned or expected.” It may be “a long or roundabout route.”

Screenshot from Merriam-Webster online dictionary

But what is important is that it is not a dead end. It is a detour.

It may be a delay in my plans. It may even be a total change of plans. But it is not a period at all. It is just a comma, after all. I was not a failure because I fell down. I would have been a failure only if and when I didn’t stand up. It would have been a dead end if I remained kissing asphalt. But, I stood up. Remaining down was not an option. Wounded, yes. Humbled, definitely. I moved on and am moving on. Only by God’s grace that I got back on my feet.

 

What you thought was a dead end may be a detour. Image credit

It is a detour, not a dead end. 

At the back of “Detour: Finding Purpose When Life Doesn’t Make Sense” by Walk Thru the Bible president Phil Tuttle with Chris Tiegreen, we read this blurb

You thought you knew God’s will. Then life went in an opposite direction. That detour causes some to walk away from God. Others… draw near. And that choice can make the difference between disappointment and destiny. Learn to read between the lines of your life… God is writing an epic story, and you are part of it. Discovering your place in that story can transform your life—and the lives of many others—forever.  

I’m still trying to discover my place in God’s epic story. I’m still learning to read between the lines. Yet, what’s important is that I’m in that story. And I already made my choice. 

It is a detour, not a dead end. Image credit

I thank God for life’s detours. 

~*~

NOTE: To know more about facing your life detours, Phil Tuttle will be team teaching “Detour: Finding Purpose When Life Doesn’t Make Sense” with Dr. Peter Tan-Chi, senior pastor of Christ Commission Fellowship, on November 29, 2014. 

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