Hope At A Roadblock

Life Mapped Out and
Tied With A Pretty Bow

"I will guide you along the

best pathway for your life."

Ps. 32:8

 

 

Most of us have dreams,

Big plans for our future.

Life mapped out and

tied with a pretty bow:

Career, Spouse, Children;

or Not.

Hope wafts around us,

feel-good feelings like those triggered by the aroma of fresh-baked cookies at Christmas.

 

Life is good.

 

Until That Roadblock Stares Us Down

 

A closed road,

     a rugged detour,

          a change of landscape.

We watch as the carefully laid out map burns up along with our dreams and plans. Those feel-good feelings of Hope now smell like burnt cookies headed for the trash. Hopelessness settles in, like a heavy wool blanket shrouding us on a hot humid day. Every cell in our being seems to erupt like a volcano spewing hot lava.

We wonder if we'll ever feel "normal" again.

 

We wonder if hope is gone forever.

 



God May Be the One
Who Set Up the Roadblock

Enter God

What a difference when God steps into our crisis. He's the only One who can make sense out of what just happened to us.

 

Yet, He may even be the One who set up the barricade and pointed us to that perturbing and intimidating detour.

 

Ouch! What a punch-to-the-gut thought our finite minds must grapple with.

We ask, "Why, God, would you do such a thing?"

Because our dreams may not be the same as God's dreams for us.

He who knows us intimately−our strengths, weaknesses, skill sets, every like or dislike−acts on our behalf to guide us into His best plan for us.

He Plants a New Dream

He plants a new dream, forms bigger plans, draws another map−one which will fulfill us in a way we could never have imagined.

• Someone's crushed dream to teach at the local elementary school finds new vision in the opportunity to teach underprivileged children in a third world country.
• The wannabe lawyer enters social work, affecting young lives in after school programs instead of at a defense table.
• The unexpected loss of the job we've had for twenty+ years...a new career is on the horizon.

God redirecting,

        God changing the landscape,

                 God leading us to new or better purposes.
 

 And somewhere along the detour

we get a whiff of fresh-baked cookies.

 

Further Reading:

 

• Jer. 29:11-13
• Ps. 23, 24
• Is. 45:2,3

 

How did God speak to your heart the last time

 

He placed a "Road Closed" sign in your path?

Please join the conversation by leaving your comments below.

May God's hope fill your
heart with peace and joy!
Jeannine